Indonesia: Three FPI members charged over alleged Ramadan attacks on Ahmadiyah mosque, Restaurants

The Ahmadiyah attack was part of a rampage that started on a Saturday night and lasted until the next morning. The mob, estimated at 30-50 people, also attacked Ahmad, the lone person guarding the JAI secretariat, and two paralegals from the Legal Aid Foundation (LBH) who tried to stop the attack.

FPI members protesting in front of a religious minority in Makassar
in this file photo. Islamic fundamentalists in Indonesia are attacking
Christians with impunity, the head of Indonesian bishops said on
Tuesday during a visit to the Vatican. (Antara Photo) 

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | Int'l Desk
Source/Credit: The Jakarta Globe
By Rahmat | November 09, 2011

Makassar. Three members of the hard-line Islamic Defenders Front were indicted in a Makassar court on Tuesday for abusing and assaulting a restaurant owner in the South Sulawesi capital during Ramadan.

Abdul Rahman, chief of the South Sulawesi chapter of the group known as FPI, and two other members, Arifuddin and Riswandi, were charged under Articles 170 and 351 of the Criminal Code on destruction of property and assault that carries a maximum sentence of five years in jail.

“The three defendants are accused of abusing and assaulting the owner of Warung Coto [restaurant] and another restaurant on Jalan A.P. Pettarani, Makassar, in August,” Muhammad Adnan, the prosecutor, said as he read the indictment.

Approximate ly 100 police officers guarded the 15-minute trial, anticipating a volatile reaction from the 50 FPI members in attendance.


Lawyer Faisal Silenang asked the judge not to detain the three and guaranteed that they would not run away and would be cooperative during the trial process.

Abdul Rahman has also been named a suspect in an August attack on the Ahmadiyah sect.

In the attack, the LPI, a unit of the FPI, smashed several windows at the Indonesian Ahmadiyah Congregation (JAI) secretariat complex, including at its mosque, and damaged a car and a motorcycle parked in the compound.

The mob, estimated at 30-50 people, also attacked Ahmad, the lone person guarding the JAI secretariat, and two paralegals from the Legal Aid Foundation (LBH) who tried to stop the attack. None of the three suffered serious injuries. LPI members also scuffled with riot police sent to the scene to restore order.

Police say Abdul Rahman did not take part in the attack but incited it, for which he could face up to six years in prison.

The Ahmadiyah attack was part of a rampage that started on a Saturday night and lasted until the next morning. It included attacking and shutting down food stalls and restaurants operating during the fasting month. At one business, they smashed furniture and crockery when the owner refused to close.


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