Ahmadiyah is OK by Constitution

It is sad to hear the statement of the President of the Republic Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono that the Ahmadiyah Organization in Indonesia has been banned by the government long ago. While in fact the Jamaah Ahmadiyah Indonesia is still registered with the Department of Justice as a legal organization.

In the year 2000, the Supreme Head of the International Ahmadiyah Community, the late Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad came to visit Indonesia for a month and met some 500,000 Ahmadis in Indonesia. He also made a courtesy call on then President Abdurahman Wahid and the speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly, Amien Rais.

Government officials are expected to fully understand the Indonesian Constitution, and that it explicitly allows for and protects the freedom of religion. The Republic of Indonesia does not base itself on any religious denomination, nor is it an Islamic state.

ABDUL MUKHLIS AHMAD, Zamboanga, Philippines