Jakarta Globe: Jakarta. Members of the Ahmadiyah community in Indonesia continue to be discriminated against and religious leaders say a comprehensive, multi-pronged approach is needed to address persecution against the group.
“In general, the marginalization and stigmatization of Ahmadiyah groups have evolved into acts of discrimination,” said Yendra Budiana, spokesman for Jemaat Ahmadiyah Indonesia (JAI).
“Our beliefs are now criminalized and a cause for persecution.”
Members of the Ahmadiyah, an Islamic religious movement deemed heretical by Indonesia’s Sunni majority, have faced increased hostility in recent weeks, with a number of local communities being targeted across Java.
The closure of an Ahmadiyah mosque in Bukit Duri, South Jakarta by local officials on July 8 ingnited a firestorm of controversy, launching anti-Ahmadiyah activities into the national spotlight.
“It’s become very difficult for Ahmadiyah communities in Indonesia to follow through on their religious beliefs, especially as violence and intimidation continue against them,” said Febi Yonesta, director of the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH).
“They’re victims of intolerant acts from communities that do not approve of their existence here in Indonesia.”
As hardline extremists groups like the Islamic Defender’s Front (FPI) and the Islamic People’s Front (FUI) have become more vocal, persecution against Ahmadis has increased in recent years.
The Setara Institute for Democracy and Peace recorded 11 cases of violence and intolerance against Ahmadiyah groups in 2014.
A quarterly report issued by the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM), which looked at religious freedom for the April to June period this year, noted multiple incidents of discrimination against Ahmadiyah groups, specifically in Bukit Duri and Depok.
Categories: Ahmadiyyat: True Islam, Anti Islam act by Muslims, Asia, Behaviour, Double Standard, Indonesia