The Jakarta Post:
A popular quote says silence is golden. But, this quote is never a single truth. Silence oftentimes could backfire as with the case of violence. By being silent, violence could reproduce violence, and this self-repeating process will create a vicious circle. It is this destructive consequence of silence that really matters so we need a lot more voices against it.
Let us look at several cases of violations against freedom of religious expression, violations against religious sectarian groups in particular, that have recently taken place in Indonesia. This kind of conflict plagued our country long before the fall of the Soeharto regime, and the violations have only increased since reform (Setara, 2012).
The 2011 Cikeusik tragedy is the case in question. Attacks on the Ahmadiyah followers by the majority Muslim population that resulted in three people killed from the Ahmadiyah group. Surprisingly, the suspects were only sentenced three to six months in jail. Even more surprisingly, only few people staged a protest against the killing and the legal decision.
Categories: Ahmadiyyat: True Islam, Asia, Indonesia
