Land Conflict Prevents Muhammadiyah Congregation in Barru from Performing Eid Prayers at Mosque

The Muhammadiyah congregation in Barru Regency, South Sulawesi, was prohibited from performing Eid al-Fitr prayers for 1447 Hijriah at a mosque on Friday morning (20/3). This is believed to be related to a land conflict. The Muhammadiyah worshippers who arrived at Nurul Tajdid Mosque in the Pepabri area, Coppo Ward, Barru, were blocked and forced to disperse and leave the location. In response, the Muhammadiyah Regional Leadership (PDM) of Barru Regency, South Sulawesi, issued a strong protest. PDM Barru Chairman Akhmad Jamaluddin expressed astonishment that the congregation was banned from praying at a site that is a Muhammadiyah asset. His side also questioned the presence of authorities who failed to facilitate the Eid al-Fitr prayer worship. According to him, the police officers at the location should have prevented the prohibition of worship. “This is a bad precedent. The presence of state apparatus should ensure that citizens’ right to worship is protected, not submit to mass pressure,” said Akhmad in his statement on Friday afternoon. The incident began when the Muhammadiyah congregation intended to perform worship at Nurul Tajdid Mosque on Friday morning. Akhmad emphasised that legally, the land and building of the mosque are official Muhammadiyah assets based on the Waqf Declaration Deed. “However, some local residents carried out a unilateral blockade. This action is a clear violation of Article 29 Paragraph (2) of the 1945 Constitution on guarantees of freedom of worship, Law No. 39 of 1999 Article 22 on human rights, and Article 175 of the Criminal Code regarding obstacles to religious meetings with criminal threats,” he revealed. He stated that the Muhammadiyah Regional Leadership of Barru deeply regrets the attitude of the local government and security forces for not providing protection to the congregation. In the end, Akhmad continued, the worshippers willingly left and chose a safer location. “Nurul Tajdid Mosque is a legitimate Muhammadiyah asset and we have the proof. We deeply regret that religious freedom in Barru is not well accommodated in this incident,” he explained. Police Report Due to the incident, Akhmad affirmed that the Muhammadiyah Barru Leadership will report the case to the police. His side also urged the Barru Regency Government to immediately intervene to initiate fair mediation and provide security guarantees for Muhammadiyah residents in managing their assets. “We will pursue legal channels to ensure that the organisation’s rights remain upheld and there is no more tolerance for acts of intolerance in Barru Regency,” he said. Police Statement Separately, Barru Police Chief AKBP Ananda Fauzi Harahap claimed that his side had deployed personnel to secure the Eid al-Fitr prayers on Friday morning. “The situation is safe and under control, because every mosque holding Eid prayers is guarded by officers and the government is present and directing the community to pray,” Ananda told CNNIndonesia.com. Regarding the mosque ownership conflict, Ananda admitted he did not yet understand. He instead directed inquiries to the Barru Regency Government to explain the matter. “Regarding the history of that mosque, of course, the parties who know better and there is a government department handling it,” he clarified. Nevertheless, Ananda said, his side has taken mitigation steps regarding the issue by contacting the community and the Eid al-Fitr prayer organisers at Nurul Tajdid Mosque. “Well, the Muhammadiyah community, because they consider it also a mosque holding prayers, they came. But that information, we received, we investigated, we tried to mitigate because we got that information around dawn or midnight or so. We confirmed with the parties but no one picked up the phone,” he said when contacted. In addition, the Barru Police Chief emphasised that there was no rejection of Muhammadiyah residents performing Eid al-Fitr prayers outside the government isbat ruling. It is known that Muhammadiyah residents performed Eid al-Fitr on this Friday, different from the government stipulation through the Isbat session where 1 Shawwal is only tomorrow Saturday (21/3). He emphasised that the rejection action by residents against Muhammadiyah residents is related to the land conflict issue. “The point is not rejecting, not holding prayers because following the government or something. Related to the asset issue, it’s said to be a Muhammadiyah asset, it should be investigated again, don’t claim it directly because according to residents it’s not a Muhammadiyah mosque, not funded by Muhammadiyah, and also not a Muhammadiyah waqf,” he said.