Ahmadis, with about half a million followers in the country, are regularly bullied or attacked.
Twenty Ahmadis are still inside a mosque surrounded by the authorities, reflecting the growing religious intolerance in Indonesia.
On April 4, during prayer, police raided and sealed the gate leading to the building. The authorities intended to enforce a 2008 decree that prohibits Ahmadis from proselytizing.
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A member of the Ahmadiyah Islamic sect, Mohammad Iqbal stands behind a door at Al Misbah mosque in Bekasi, April 9, 2013. A group of minority Ahmadiyah Muslims have been held up in a mosque since authorities shuttered it earlier this month, in a stand-off that starkly illustrates the growing religious intolerance sweeping the country.
According to Ahmadi, the fault lies with radical Islamists who dictate their intransigence authorities. Ahmadis in particular point the finger at the FPI which is known for raids on minorities.
Ahmadis “violated the word of Allah,” said the local representative of the REIT Murhali Barda.
Thus, on April 4, police stood guard around the mosque, preventing anyone from entering. The twenty Ahmadis inside refused to leave, living day and night in very primitive conditions, while depending on food than do their friends pass over the walls.
“Why do they treat us like criminals when all we do is pray,” said Rahmadijaya Rahmat, 33, one of the dignitaries of the mosque. “They can threaten us and prevent us but we are not afraid. We never renierons our faith. We will remain in the mosque until they reopen,” he told AFP through a corner of the black gate of the mosque, sealed by the police.
According to the organizations of human rights, the government does not dare confront the Sunni radicals and support minorities for fear of losing popularity, especially when elections are due next year.
“The government is showing weakness when it comes to law enforcement. Radical Islamists are emboldened and often they take the law in their hands,” said Bonar Tigor Naipospos, deputy head of the Setara Institute.
The authorities deny. “Indonesia is lenient vis-à-vis the Ahmadis,” said a spokesman for the Indonesian presidency Teuku Faizasyah.
“We are providing them places of worship, while in other countries they are totally banned,” he said, adding that the closure of the mosque Bekasi “does not reflect the harmonious relations between different faiths in Indonesia “.
Ahmadis, with about half a million followers in Indonesia are regularly bullied and attacked. In 2011, three of them were killed in a lynching in West Java.
And since 2006, 115 Ahmadis are living in a dilapidated shed on the island of Lombok (east) after being driven from their village.
Allah is going to disgrace and humiliate the Indonesian authorities for locking down the Ahmadi Mosque because our Brothers and Sisters pray. Shame on the government!