Cianjur administration to ban Ahmadiyah sect

Antara News Agency, Jakarta

Having their mosques and houses destroyed is apparently not enough punishment for members of Ahmadiyah Congregation. Exactly a week after their property was vandalized by hard-line Muslims, Ahmadiyah members will face another bitter reality: Ahmadiyah's teachings will soon be banned by the Cianjur local administration.

The plan to legally ban Ahmadiyah from the regency was disclosed on Monday by Cianjur Regent Wasidi Swastomo.

Speaking to the media, Wasidi explained that a meeting had been held recently between the Cianjur administration, the chiefs of police, military officers and prosecutors in the regency, and it was agreed upon to ban Ahmadiyah activities in the regency.

"The decree to ban Ahmadiyah will be issued within one or two days," said Wasidi, as quoted by Antara, the government news agency.

The ban comes a week after hundreds of Cianjur residents vandalized at least four mosques, 33 houses and four cars belonging to Ahmadiyah members in the area. The attackers were mostly Muslims in Cianjur and students from Muslim boarding schools near the Ahmadiyah complex.

Forty-eight of the group were arrested after the violence, but only 12 have been named suspects. The police are now building the case files.

Meanwhile, Wasidi, who has spearheaded the implementation of Islamic Law (sharia) in Cianjur, stated during a press conference that the religious ban was aimed at curbing controversial religious teachings that create conflicts. By banning Ahmadiyah, it would help prevent potential conflicts between Ahmadiyah members and people who disagree with them in the future, argued Wasidi.

The regent added that Ahmadiyah's teachings should be banned as they were heretical. Ahmadiyah differs from mainstream Islam because the members believe that the last prophet of Islam was not Muhammad, but Mirza Ghulam Achmad, who founded the sect in the 19th century in Pakistan.

According to Wasidi, the plan to ban Ahmadiyah has already been strongly supported by other local leaders, including mainstream Muslim leaders and the military commander.

Wasidi did not go into detail about whether the ban would lead to an outright eviction of Ahmadiyah members from the regency. He also refused to say whether the Ahmadiyah members would be jailed if they continued their religious activities in Cianjur.