Govt condemns group's attack on Ahmadiyah<\/p>\n
Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The government condemned on Saturday an attack by members of
\nIndonesian Muslim Solidarity on the Jamaah Ahmadiyah Congregation
\n(JAI) on Friday afternoon.<\/p>\n
Vice President Jusuf Kalla promised to investigate the case,
\nwhich is another worrying sign of rising religious radicalization
\nin the world's largest Muslim country.<\/p>\n
"We will question both sides," Kalla said after a ceremony on
\nSaturday morning.<\/p>\n
Conveying his condemnation of the attack, the Vice President
\nurged Indonesians not to resort to violence in dealing with
\ndifferences of faith.<\/p>\n
"We condemn the act. Differences of faith should not be
\nresolved through violence," Kalla said.<\/p>\n
Minister of Religious Affairs M. Maftuh Basyuni also urged
\npeople "not to take the law into their own hands".<\/p>\n
However, he said he would study the teachings of JAI to
\ndetermine if they were heretical, as claimed by a number of
\ngroups including the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), which issued
\nan edict declaring the teachings of Ahmadiyah forbidden.<\/p>\n
About 10,000 people attacked the compound of the JAI on
\nFriday. This was the second attempt this month to force the
\ncongregation from the compound, known as the Mubarak campus, on
\nJl. Raya Parung in Bogor, West Java. Some 500 JAI members have
\nleft the area.<\/p>\n
The attackers damaged several buildings and set others on
\nfire. Police were able to lead the JAI members safely out of the
\ncomplex.<\/p>\n
The campus looked quiet on Saturday morning, SCTV reported.
\nPolice only allowed JAI members back into the complex to collect
\ntheir personal belonging.<\/p>\n
Ahmadiyah was formed in Pakistan in the 19th century. Its
\nfollowers believe that Ghulam Ahmad Khan, who founded the group,
\nwas a prophet who came after the Prophet Muhammad, whom
\nmainstream Muslims believe was God's final messenger.<\/p>\n
Ahmadiyah is little known in Indonesia and there are only an
\nestimated 200,000 followers in the country.<\/p>\n
The People's Alliance for Freedom to Implement Religions also
\ncondemned the attack, calling it "an act against civilization".<\/p>\n
The alliance called on the government to ensure justice was
\ndone in the case.<\/p>\n
Dawam Rahardjo, a member of the alliance, said the attack
\nagainst the JAI was a violation of human rights and the country's
\nConstitution, which guarantees the freedom of religion.<\/p>\n
Acts of intimidation and aggression against religious groups
\nor individuals by "other devotees" have been increasing in number
\nover the past several years.<\/p>\n
Experts have called on the government to act swiftly to
\nprotect the people's right to freely follow their religion. Some
\nhave suggested the government also acknowledge other religions
\nand beliefs outside the existing five recognized by the state
\nunder the Constitution.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Muslim scholar Ulil Abshar Abdalla said that MUI's
\nedict against Ahmadiyah provided "legitimacy" for people to
\nattack the congregation.<\/p>\n
"The MUI should also be held responsible for the attack and
\nreported to the courts," said Ulil, who in 2003 was condemned by
\na Muslim group, which issued a death sentence against him, for
\npublishing an article criticizing the conservatism of some Muslim
\nleaders.<\/p>\n
Ulil urged the MUI to revoke the edict.<\/p>\n
The MUI has said it would not revoke the edict, which was
\nissued in 1980, insisting that Ahmadiyah's teachings were against
\nIslam, but also condemned Friday's attack on the Ahmadiyah
\ncompound.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/govt-condemns-groups-attack-on-ahmadiyah-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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