Ahmadiyah fights back -- in civilized way<\/p>\n
A'an Suryana, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
With their mosques and homes destroyed and their members
\nterrorized, the Jamaah Ahmadiyah Congregation is fighting back,
\nby peacefully filing a lawsuit against the Bogor administration
\nafter it banned the Islamic sect from any activity in the
\nregency.<\/p>\n
The legal maneuver is just one of many measures being prepared
\nby the embattled sect to stay alive amid violent attacks from
\nconservative Muslim groups in recent months.<\/p>\n
Speaking to The Jakarta Post on Thursday, Ahmadiyah lawyers
\nsaid the lawsuit was being completed and would be filed with the
\nstate administrative court on Oct. 7. The congregation is
\nchallenging Bogor's ban as they believe it would be proven
\nlegally weak, said Erna Ratnaningsih, the deputy director of the
\nJakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH).<\/p>\n
The decree, issued jointly by the Bogor city government,
\npolice, prosecutor's office and the Bogor Council of Ulema in
\nJuly, clearly ran counter to the nation's Constitution, which
\nprotects freedom of religion, argued Erna.<\/p>\n
The decree was also against a law on regional government,
\nwhich stipulates that religious affairs are managed by the
\ncentral government and not regional governments. \"We will demand
\nthat the Bogor decree be declared invalid and be revoked,\" said
\nErna.<\/p>\n
The decree was issued shortly after a group of nearly 10,000
\nMuslim extremists attacked an Ahmadiyah campus in Parung outside
\nof Bogor city in July. None of the Ahmadiyah members were injured
\nduring the attack, but Ahmadiyah members were stunned again as
\nthe Bogor administration promptly issued a decree that banned
\nthem from practicing their faith in the regency. The decree was
\nissued, according to Bogor officials, in order to maintain social
\nharmony. \"The decree was the entry point for more pressure
\ndirected at the Jamaah Ahmadiyah Congregation,\" said Wirawan, the
\ndirector of Bandung LBH.<\/p>\n
As police officers refused to arrest the attackers, it
\nencouraged extremist Muslims from other areas across West Java to
\nexert more pressure against Ahmadiyah members. After the July
\nattack, conservative groups in Cianjur attacked Ahmadiyah again,
\ndestroying mosques and homes earlier this week. The violence was
\nsoon followed by the joint regulation issued by the Cianjur
\nregency administration that banned Ahmadiyah members from holding
\nactivities in the regency.<\/p>\n
Aware that their existence was under threat of outspoken
\nMuslim conservatives that had been making inroads in the country
\nin recent years, the congregation is preparing three sets of
\nactions to assure its survival. The first is the aforementioned
\nlegal measure. The second is a plan to lobby various leaders in
\norder to help defend freedom of religion for Ahmadiyah members,
\nsaid Erna. \"We are going to have meetings with the president and
\nthe House of Representatives,\" said Erna. The third measure was
\nto form a coalition with other minority religious groups such as
\nthe Indonesian Bishop Conference (KWI) and the Liberal Islamic
\nNetwork (JIL) in order to help promote religious freedom in the
\ncountry, said Erna.<\/p>\n
Ahmadiyah was established in Pakistan in the 19th century by
\nMirza Ghulam Ahmad. The organization has been in Indonesian since
\n1926 and formally recognized in 1953. It is estimated that there
\nare 200,000 followers of Ahmadiyah in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
The controversy hinges on the sect's belief that the last
\nprophet was not Muhammad as mainstream Muslims believe, but Mirza
\nGhulam Ahmad, the organization's founder.<\/p>\n
The organization has also been criticized for its exclusivity.
\nAhmadiyah members hold Friday prayers in their own mosques and do
\nnot participate in Friday prayers in any other mosques.<\/p>",
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