They never view people with different beliefs as a threat. In fact, they are very open to the presence of diverse people
in Personal
Ahmadiyya Community594
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Mubindah.id – Monday 11 December 2023, I and my friends from the first semester of the Indonesian Female Ulema Scholars ( SUPI ) Fahmina Islamic Studies Institute (ISIF) conducted a field study in Manislor Village, Kuningan Regency, precisely in the Ahmadiyah Congregation community. This mini research was initiated by Mrs. Alif, lecturer in the Citizenship Studies and Human Rights Studies courses.
According to Mrs. Alif, as students it is very important for us to meet directly with diverse friends. Because with this space, we can dialogue and get to know each other.
When I first went to the Ahmadiyah Congregation, I felt scared and nervous. Because all this time I have often heard that the Ahmadiyya Community is heretical and deviates from Islamic teachings.
- MUI Fatwa
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MUI Fatwa
Even the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) also issued a fatwa declaring the Ahmadiyah Community to be heretical. Wow, I’m getting scared when I go there.
But I remind myself not to easily hate and stigmatize other people. I have to prove directly whether they really deviated from Islamic teachings or not.
Apart from that, I was also curious whether meeting them would make me change my faith or not. The thing is, I’ve heard that people who have different beliefs from us can easily influence someone to follow their teachings.
Monday morning, December 11, my friends and I went to Manislor Village using public transportation. The atmosphere on the street is really cool, because the air in Kuningan is really cool and refreshing. Makes me feel more relaxed. ” Not bad, it relieves my nervousness a bit,” I muttered at that time.
After an hour’s journey, my friends and I finally arrived at Manislor Village, precisely at the An-Noor Mosque. This mosque belongs to the Ahmadiyah Congregation, Kuningan. There, we were warmly welcomed by the Ahmadiyah congregation. We were also invited to enter the building next to the An-Noor Mosque.
Before entering, the fear and nervousness were still there. I thought it was very natural, because this was my first experience coming directly to the Ahmadiyah Congregation environment. Not to mention the bad stigmas that I often hear out there, making me even more doubtful about joining or not.
But, again I remind myself not to judge easily. Finally I had the courage to go in and walk around looking at the photos of the figures they had displayed in rows.
There are photos of Gus Mus and Gus Dur
Of all the photos lined up, I immediately confused (failed to focus) on the pictures of Gus Mus and Gus Dur. “How come there are photos of my dream kiai, huh?” I said. It didn’t stop there, I was also curious about a photo which had the name “Mirza Ghulam Ahmad” written underneath. Who is this, how come I’ve never seen it?
I tried to keep all that curiosity, because Mrs. Alif said that later we would have the opportunity to discuss with the Ahmadiyah congregation. “Hopefully later I can ask directly about the photos of the figures,” I thought.
Not wanting to miss anything, I continued to look around again to see what was in the room. It turned out that there, I also found several writings that were framed very beautifully, they were the history, teachings and missions of the Ahmadiyya Community.
After we finished viewing the contents of the gallery in that room, my friends and I were invited to enter their library. There I saw that there were lots of books about Ahmadiyya. Either written directly by them, or written by other institutions, one of which is by Fahmina.
After touring the Ahmadiyah library, we were finally invited to sit together and get to know each other and discuss. This is the moment that made me fail to move on until now. Because from the stories of the Ahmadiyah congregation, I learned a lot about them. Especially the sad experience they experienced in 2000.
The mosque was burned
They told us that in 2000 they had been persecuted by local residents. Even their places of worship were sealed, damaged and finally burned. Even though at that time, the Ahmadiyah Congregation mosque had just been completed.
What’s even more frightening is that this violence occurred in the name of the Islamic religion. He said that because they were considered heretical, local residents agreed to expel the Ahmadiyah Congregation by destroying and burning their house of worship.
It doesn’t just stop there, the Ahmadiyah Congregation is also having difficulty making a Resident Identity Card (KTP) and arranging marriages at the KUA. Even though these two things are basic needs as an Indonesian citizen.
As a result, they also have difficulty accessing various things because they don’t have ID cards. For example, they cannot register for college, let alone scholarship routes, they also cannot use public transportation which requires them to submit their KTP as a condition for purchasing tickets.
Moreover, they are not registered in the state administration as Indonesian citizens. It’s a very worrying situation.
Hearing this story, I was very sad and concerned. How can it be that as fellow human beings, they do not get justice, just because they have different beliefs. Isn’t it clear in the fifth principle that “justice is for all Indonesian people”.
This means that anyone, with any religion or belief, should have the same rights as people living in Indonesia.
Ahmadiyah Congregation’s Concern for Others
Apart from this sad story, I also heard that the Ahmadiyah Congregation has a humanitarian mission that is rarely carried out by other religious organizations, namely that they always donate blood and corneas to people in need. Whether you are Muslim or not, they will be ready to help.
Still in the same breath, they also never view people with different beliefs as a threat. In fact, they are very open to the presence of diverse people. For them, diversity is actually a gift from God, which they must accept with a sincere heart.
In fact, according to the Ahmadiyah Congregation, existing diversity is a way to share love with each other. We can see this in their motto “Love for All Hatred for None” or “love for all, no hatred for anyone”.
Lastly, I would like to thank Mrs. Alif who invited me to meet the Ahmadiyah Congregation. Now their doubts and prejudices have disappeared. I am no longer afraid to meet the Ahmadiyya Community anywhere.
Now I can also accept the presence of the Ahmadiyah Community with openness and sincerity. There is no judgment or bad label on them. There is only love and affection. []
Tags: Have a dialogueAhmadiyya CommunityManislorExperience
Tasnim Qiy
I am a student at the Indonesian Female Ulama Scholars (SUPI) Institute of Islamic Studies Fahmina (ISIF) Cirebon.
source https://mubadalah.id/ini-pengalamanku-berdialog-dengan-jemaat-ahmadiyah-di-manislor/
Categories: Ahmadiyyat: True Islam, Asia, Indonesia