Indonesia: Encouraged Islamic groups demand Ahmadiyah group be outlawed

Amnesty International released a statement on Thursday saying that the lenient sentences showed that religious minorities face ongoing discrimination in Indonesia. The New York-based Human Rights Watch also expressed grave disappointment, saying it was a "sad day for Indonesia."

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | US Desk
Source/Credit: Channel 6 Newsonline
By BNO News | July 30, 2011

JAKARTA (BNO NEWS) -- Hundreds of conservative Muslims on Saturday rallied in the Indonesian capital to demand the government outlaw an Islamic sect, the Jakarta Globe reported. 



Almost 1,500 protesters wearing white robes gathered in Jakarta to urge the banning of the minority Ahmadiyah group. According to reports, some protesters held placards reading "Disband Ahmadiyah or Revolution."

The protests came after a court on Thursday sentenced 12 men accused of killing three members of the group to less than six months in jail. Some of the defendants were released because they had already served their sentences in detention, which began in February.


The 12 men joined a 1,000 strong mob in the February 6 attack on the group of Ahmadis who gathered at the home of an Ahmadiyah leader in Cikeusik, West Java. Three Ahmadis died and five were seriously injured in the attack, which was widely condemned by both local and international human rights organizations.

Amnesty International released a statement on Thursday saying that the lenient sentences showed that religious minorities face ongoing discrimination in Indonesia. The New York-based Human Rights Watch also expressed grave disappointment, saying it was a "sad day for Indonesia."

Furthermore, the United States Embassy expressed its disappointment at the "disproportionately light sentences," while the European Union reminded Indonesia about "the need to ensure that religious and other minorities are adequately protected by the justice and law enforcement systems."

Amnesty International has documented numerous cases of intimidation and violence against the religious group by radical Islamist groups in various parts of Indonesia. The Ahmadiyah community is also discriminated against in law, including a 2008 joint ministerial decree forbidding the Ahmadiyah from promoting their activities and other local regulations restricting the group's activities.

(Copyright 2011 by BNO News B.V. All rights reserved.)

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