The Ahmadis are followers of a sect founded in the 19th century, but mainstream Muslims say their beliefs are heretical, and they have been subjected to violence and persecution in Indonesia.
Source/Credit: AlterNet / Reuters
By Thin Lei Win | Apr 9, 2013
BANGKOK (AlertNet) - Thirty members of the persecuted minority Ahmadiyah Muslim sect have been inside a sealed mosque in West Java since Thursday, and police have been accused of harassing other Ahmadis trying to deliver food to those inside, The Jakarta Globe reported.
Officers of the public order agency in the city of Bekasi installed heavy iron gates and a fence around the building on April 4 while people were still inside, the paper quoted Firdaus Mubarik, spokesman of Ahmadiyah Indonesian Congregation, as saying.
According to the Globe, the mosque has held regular prayers since 1998, and pressure against it began to build after the hard-line Islamic Defenders Front announced plans for a local branch.
Authorities claimed the Ahmadiyah mosque was closed to prevent future possible bloodshed, but Firdaus said the people would remain inside until the government reopens it.
Police initially prohibited Ahmadis delivering food from entering the building, but Dedy Tabrani, police chief for Pondok Gede in Bekasi, denied Firdaus’ claim that they were threatened with arrest.
Following media reports of the alleged threats, Dedy ordered food for those inside and permitted deliveries from the community, the Globe reported.
The Ahmadis are followers of a sect founded in the 19th century, but mainstream Muslims say their beliefs are heretical, and they have been subjected to violence and persecution in Indonesia.
In February 2011, 1,500 Islamist militants attacked the Ahmadi community in Cikeusik village in western Java’s Banten province, leaving three dead and five seriously injured.
The event was caught on film, and police officers were shown watching, but only 12 men were charged, none of them for manslaughter. One Ahmadi injured in the attack was himself convicted of assault and disobeying police orders.
Religious intolerance and violence is a growing trend in Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim country, said a recent report by Human Rights Watch.
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This is just another in long line of violent escalations against minorities in Indonesia by hardline extremists. This rising tide is difficult to quell for the Government but they are just exacerbating it by acquiescing to the extremists. As in Pakistan the security forces are also involved in the persecution of Ahmadis. If Indonesia wants to see its future they don't need a crystal ball just take a look at the failed American Aid reliant state of Pakistan and you cans see where you are going.
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