Indonesia: Ahmadi Mosque Attacked in West Java

The group of young protesters claimed that Ahmadis are not allowed to hold religious activities because the government has banned them. A much larger, unknown group then appeared and loudly chanted condemnation of the Ahmadiyah, with some people throwing Molotov cocktails into the mosque.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | Int'l Desk
Source/Credit: The Jakarta Globe
By Jakarta Globe | April 21, 2012

A mob of 150 people ransacked a mosque belonging to the minority Ahmadiyah Muslim sect in Singaparna, West Java, on Friday, smashing windows and breaking equipment inside.

Several of the attackers threw Molotov cocktails at the mosque, destroying part of the building.

“They vandalized almost everything inside the mosque,” said Nanang, chairman of the Ahmadiyah sect in the district, Tasikmalaya.

He said there were no reports of casualties or injuries in the attack, which he said was the fourth against Ahmadis in the district in two years.

The attack took place at about 10 a.m. when a small group of young people from a nearby mosque held a demonstration against the Ahmadiyah in front of the mosque.

Only several Ahmadis were in the mosque at the time, as others had not yet arrived for Friday prayers.

The group of young protesters claimed that Ahmadis are not allowed to hold religious activities because the government has banned them.

A much larger, unknown group then appeared and loudly chanted condemnation of the Ahmadiyah, with some people throwing Molotov cocktails into the mosque.

They made their way into the building, breaking doors and windows and forcing the Ahmadis to flee.

Several police officers arrived but only watched initially, saying they could not do anything to stop the mob.

After other officers arrived and local residents came to help, they were finally able to persuade the attackers to leave the mosque. Several officers stayed outside the building to guard against another attack.

The Ahmadis still held their prayers after the mob left and then worked to clean the building.

“We only want to pray and have no intention of disturbing others,” Nanang said.

Asep, a spokesman for the small group that staged the first peaceful protest, said they only wanted Ahmadis to realize their beliefs are wrong.

“We have warned them to stop their religious activities,” he said.

The Ahmadiyah sect has faced frequent violence this year following last year’s brutal attack on Ahmadis in Cikeusik, Banten, that left three people dead.

In Cianjur, also in West Java, a group of 50 people attacked and vandalized an Ahmadiyah mosque in February.

That attack came just days after President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said that religious harmony was being protected in Indonesia and that Ahmadis were free to worship as they saw fit, as long as they did not offend other Muslims.

Firdaus Mubarik, a spokesman for the Indonesian Ahmadiyah Indonesia Congregation (JAI), has said there are 200 displaced Ahmadis in Lombok as well as 15 in Tasikmalaya.


Read original post here: Ahmadi Mosque Attacked in West Java


This content-post is archived for backup and to keep archived records of any news Islam Ahmadiyya. The views expressed by the author and source of this news archive do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of Ahmadiyya Times.