Indonesia: W. Java residents demand Ahmadiyah ban repeal

The group, which calls itself Aljabar, says the decree is a violation of the constitutionally guaranteed rights of Ahmadis, who make up part of the Indonesian people. Beside, it said, religious issues were supposed to be handled by the central government, not the regional administrations.

File photo: Pro-Ahmadiyah protest in Indonesia

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | Int'l Desk
Source/Credit: The Jakarta Post
By TKP | July 3, 2011

A group of West Java residents has demanded governor Ahmad Heryawan revoke a recently issued decree that bans Ahmadiyah activities in the region.

The group, which calls itself Aljabar, says the decree is a violation of the constitutionally guaranteed rights of Ahmadis, who make up part of the Indonesian people. Beside, it said, religious issues were supposed to be handled by the central government, not the regional administrations.

“The governor was reckless in issuing this decree,” a coordinator for the group, Asep Hadian Permana, said in Bandung, West Java, on Monday as quoted by tempointeraktif.com.


Aljabar consists of a number of Bandung-based organizations including Bandung Legal Aid Institute (LBH), Inter-religious working network (Jakatarub) and the Institute for Culture and Religion Studies (Incres).

The decree, Asep said, might lead to discriminatory and intolerant practices against the Ahmadis in the name of religion. This, he added, would trigger horizontal conflict in society.

The government, he said, must stand beside all Indonesian people and should not interfere with beliefs.

The government should guarantee legal protection and the rights of all citizens, including the Ahmadis, “instead of discrediting them,” he added.



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