Regional Rights Group Warns of Religious Hatred, Vigilantism Imperiling Democracy
Phelim Kine
Deputy Director, Asia Division PhelimKine
© 2018 Antara Foto / Irwansyah Putra
The Indonesian government’s failure to address growing intolerance for religious minorities and the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community has drawn renewed criticism from Southeast Asian lawmakers.The ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR), a nongovernmental grouping of current and former elected representatives from Association of Southeast Asian Nations member countries, warned this week that a “rising tide of intolerance” against those vulnerable minorities “threatens Indonesia’s democratic success.” The organization called on the Indonesian government “to put human rights at the center of efforts to address religious hatred and vigilantism.”
The APHR’s criticism comes at a time when religious minorities are at heightened risk from discriminatory regulations that hinder their right to religious freedom. Those laws include the 1965 blasphemy law, which punishes deviations from the central tenets of Indonesia’s six officially recognized religions – Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism – with up to five years in prison. Recent targets of the blasphemy law include three former leaders of the Gafatar religious community following the violent forced eviction of more than 7,000 members of the group from farms on Kalimantan island in 2016, as well as former Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Purnama, who a court sentenced to a two-year prison term for blasphemy in May 2017 because of a reference he made to a Quranic verse in September 2016.
The APHR’s concerns about “vigilantism” point to increasing incidents over the past two years in which Indonesian police have openly collaborated with militant Islamists to unlawfully target LGBT people. Last year, the police arrested more than 300 LGBT people in raids of private gay clubs, lesbian-owned houses, and other private venues across Indonesia. Meanwhile, Indonesia’s parliament is deliberating a new criminal code, the current draft of which would criminalize consensual sex between two unmarried persons, effectively making all same-sex relations illegal.
The APHR joins a growing chorus of international concern, including that of United Nations member states, about the Indonesian government’s failure to address increasing threats to vulnerable minorities. Until President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo recognizes Indonesia’s obligation to protect the rights of all minorities, their safety will be at risk.
source:
https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/05/09/asean-lawmakers-decry-indonesias-rising-tide-intolerance
Categories: Ahmadiyyat: True Islam, Arab World, Asia, Indonesia, Islam
My question to Rafiq, Riffat.
The community of Ahmadiyyah and LGBT are the same treatment in Indonesia. Discrimination against Ahmadiyya and LHBT, very sad indeed.
Does Ahmadiyyah support the right of LGBT or dors Ahmadiyyah reject the right of LGBT, because Allah condemn Gay lesbian or Homosexual.
Progressive Muslim strongly support the right of Ahmadiyya, LGBT and others. Human Right is the core of God’s law ( Bible and Al Quran )
All love ❤️
I am not speaking on behalf of Ahmadiyya Jama’at. I am just a humble follower. My personal view: The LGBT thing is totally exaggerated. Of course we have members who come to our mosques peacefully who may be counted among that community. They however do not make a big fuss about it and do not wear their ‘designation’ around their neck. Should we all display our weaknesses in public or our ‘bedroom-behavior’?
here an extract from an article on the subject of homosexuality:
HOMOSEXUALITY
Homosexuality is a delicate and controversial subject prevalent in today’s society. You may be wondering about the Islamic position on homosexuality in the face of radical gay activism versus fundamentalist Christian teachings. Islam considers same-sex marriages to be invalid, thus all homosexual activity is extra-marital. As you have already read in Chapter 3, Islam forbids all sexual activity outside of marriage. Therefore, homosexual acts are considered to be sin. More specifically, Islam forbids “lewdness” between men and men, women and women, and men and women who are not married to each other. (See Holy Qur’an, 4:16-17). In addition, numerous hadith of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) condemn sodomy as hateful in the sight of God. This position against homosexuality supports the Islamic teaching of chastity and of the sanctity of sex within marriage. In general, it is consistent with a Muslim’s goal of always seeking his or herself and spiritual development and leaving aside those things which attract the lower, baser side of human beings’ nature.
As a new convert to Islam, you may have questions about gay rights and the fight for equality, and you may wonder whether discrimination against gays because of their sexual preference is right or wrong. It is important to point out that gay activists are seeking rights on the same grounds as African-Americans, women and other minorities; namely that their sexual preference is as innate as a person’s skin color or gender. As this is not so, African-Americans, women and others should be wary of joining with gay activists in their political fight because their rights are not due on the same grounds.
source: https://www.alislam.org/library/book/pathway-to-paradise/islamic-viewpoint-on-contemporary-issues/
Somi: Did we not reply this before? Why are you bringing it up again? Argue for the sake of argument?