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The sealing of the Ahmadiyah mosque in Nyalindung Village, Garut, adds to the gloom of tolerance in West Java which claims to be a tolerant province. Recurring incidents
Penulis Muhammad Akmal Firmansyah3 Agustus 2024
BandungBermobil.id - The hopes of Qadir, 54 years old, not his real name, and other Ahmadiyah congregations have been dashed to have a mosque in Nyalindung Village, Ngamplang Village, Cilawu District, Garut Regency. They were forced to return to worship in one of the congregation's houses. Overcrowding. The mosque that they built independently since 2014 was never completed because it was repeatedly protested by local mass organizations (mass organizations) and ended up being sealed. The mosque was sealed twice, just before the completion of construction. The first sealing occurred when the mosque was still in the process of completing the building in 2021, while the latest sealing occurred on Tuesday, July 2 2024. Ironically, the perpetrators of this intolerant act were Garut Regency Government (Pemkab) officials who represent the state. They should be at the forefront of guarding the constitution which guarantees freedom of religion and worship for its citizens. "Yes, yesterday Satpol PP (Civil Service Police Unit) came here by car," said Qadir to BandungBermobil, a week after the sealing, Monday, July 8 2024.
The Indonesian Ahmadiyah Congregation (JAI) Mosque in Nyalindung Village stands on an area of 100 square meters. The ceramics have just been installed. Inside the building, you can see the pulpit and rolled carpet.
The progress is “70 percent complete”, according to Kadir. Unfortunately, access to enter the mosque is blocked by a Satpol PP line and a red seal. The chairman of RW 01 Nyalindung, Ali Nugraha, said that when the sealing took place, he asked the Ahmadiyah congregation and residents not to put up resistance, either verbal or physical, so that there would be no prolonged conflict.
“There was no resistance because I was the one who stopped it so it wouldn’t get muddy. “I thought I could still have dialogue, but it turns out there was an intention to seal it, because there was pressure from the mass organization,” he said, contacted by BandungBermobil, Tuesday, July 17 2024.
Garut Regency Satpol PP Office, Tuesday, July 2 2024. The sealing of the Ahmadiyah mosque in Garut was carried out by Satpol PP and other state officials. (Photo: Virliya Putricantika/BandungBermobil)
Two days after the sealing, Ali went to the Garut Regency Satpol PP office to clarify. "(Satpol PP) said, wait for it to cool down first. Satpol PP is under pressure from mass organizations. "It's more about anticipation, because (mass organizations) will also send members from Tasikmalaya," he said. Ali regrets the government's attitude of preferring to seal mosques and comply with pressure from mass organizations. In fact, the Ahmadiyah and non-Ahmadiyah communities in his village have long lived in harmony and worked together. "It's just that outside parties are muddying the waters," he said. Ali disagrees with the claim that the presence of the Ahmadiyah congregation is making the situation worse. He asked the public to view information about Ahmadiyah Garut objectively. For decades, residents in Nyalindung have lived in harmony with other residents without any unrest. "In Nyalindung Village, there are no problems whatsoever, let alone disturbing the residents," said Ali. “That's such a lie.”
Built Self-Help Usama Ahmad Rizal from the Inter-Religious Solidarity Network (Sajajar) explained that since first appearing in Nyalindung in the 1970s, the Ahmadiyah congregation has lived peacefully side by side with local residents. All they need is access to the mosque which they have actually built independently since 2014. Without a mosque, Ahmadiyah members carry out their worship activities at the home of one of the congregation. Due to limited space, worship becomes inappropriate and uncomfortable. Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha must be carried out at home in crowded conditions. Some of the congregation who didn't have a place had to pray in the yard. The construction of the Ahmadiyah mosque in Nyalindung was the result of self-help by the congregation which in its implementation received assistance from the non-Ahmadiyah local community. The Indonesian Ahmadiyah Congregation (JAI) Nyalindung has requirements set out in the 2006 Joint Regulation of the Minister of Home Affairs and the Minister of Religion regarding the establishment of a place of worship which must obtain approval from 60-90 local residents.
Before the sealing day, the Ahmadiyah congregation was very enthusiastic about carrying out worship at their future mosque. Children are busy reading the Koran after coming home from school. "Yesterday I saw the happy faces of the children," said Rizal, met by BandungBermobil, Monday, July 8 2024. The sealing of the mosque made Rizal sad. There is a story about Ahmadiyah parents who taught their children to pray when entering the mosque, but after the sealing, the child asked: "Mom, what's the point of learning to pray when entering the mosque? There's no mosque either, he said, it's closed." According to Rizal, the sealing of the mosque carried out by the Garut Regency Government through Satpol PP and other state apparatus on July 2 2024 was flawed in formal procedures. The sealing was carried out unilaterally, without prior dialogue or notification. The government actually submits and obeys authorities outside the state, namely mass organizations. "What the government is doing is not fundamental, the government reasons that this closure is because there are complaints from the public. The government submits and obeys the authority of certain figures. "The real fact is that there are no problems with the people here," he said. Rizal noted that the government had repeatedly issued discriminatory policies against the Ahmadiyah congregation. At the 2021 sealing, the Regent of Garut issued a Circular Letter from the Regent of Garut Number 451-1/1605/Bakesbangpol which restricted all activities of the Ahmadiyah congregation. In the second sealing, it was the turn of the Three Ministers' SKB and West Java Gubernatorial Regulation number 12 of 2011 to be used. According to Rizal, the government should facilitate its citizens to worship according to their respective beliefs. Not limiting or even prohibiting. When there is resistance, the path taken is to mediate it, not immediately close the mosque. "In the alliance, we continue to demand and ask the government to provide guarantees for Ahmadiyah citizens to carry out their worship according to their beliefs," said Rizal.
Present Before the State According to history, Ahmadiyah had entered Garut long before Indonesia became independent and the form of a unitary state was agreed upon. This information was discussed by Neng Via Siti Rodiyah, Nisa Ulmatin, and Mohamad Dindin Hamam Sidik from the State Islamic University (UIN) Sunan Gunung Djati Bandung in the journal "Infidel Stigma of the Ahmadiyah Congregation in Garut Regency: Case Study of the Conflict over the Establishment of a House of Worship" which was published in the Journal of Faith and Spirituality in 2021. Neng et al. said that Ahmadiyah teachings entered the archipelago in 1925 through an Ahmadiyah preacher from Punjab, India named Maulana Rahmat Ali. The introduction of this teaching was mostly carried out through public debate. "Everyone who is curious about Ahmadiyah, an individual or open discussion will be held with those who want to know about Ahmadiyah. "The spread of Ahmadiyah in Java has received extraordinary attention, official debates are often held involving Ahmadiyah parties, Islamic clerics and Christian clerics in Jakarta, Bogor, Bandung and Garut," said Neng et al., accessed Saturday, 20 July 2024. Furthermore, in 1934 Maulana Rahmat Ali gave the task to Entoy Muhammad, who was an Islamic cleric, to spread Ahmadiyah in West Java. After success in Tasikmalaya, Ciamis and surrounding areas, he spread Ahmadiyah to Garut. Entoy met his old friend named Udin Sayudin and often had discussions with him about the spread of Islam in Garut. The spread of Ahmadiyah in Garut was further developed by an Ahmadiyah representative from Tapaktuan, Aceh, named Abdul Wahid. He came from Aceh in 1936 and immediately founded a mosque as a first step so that the spread of Ahmadiyah could continue to grow.
Claims to Prevent Horizontal Conflict The sealing of the JAI mosque in Nyalindung was carried out by the Regency Government (Pemkab Garut) through the Garut Regency Belief Supervision Coordinating Board (Bakorpakem) which consists of state officials and mass organizations: Police, Prosecutor's Office, Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), Religious Harmony Forum (FKUB) , and the National and Political Unity Agency (Bakesbangpol). In its official statement, it was claimed that the sealing was based on complaints from the public and was carried out in accordance with legal regulations to avoid horizontal conflicts between residents. "That the implementation of these activities began with the receipt of reports and/or complaint information from the public regarding the alleged construction of buildings for places of worship as well as activities for spreading the teachings of the Indonesian Ahmadiyah Congregation (JAI) which deviated from the basic teachings of the Islamic religion," said the official statement numbered 01/ PAKEM-KAB-GARUT/07/2024. The establishment of the JAI mosque is considered to violate the requirements for establishing a house of worship. The Garut Regency Government refers to the Fatwa of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) Number 11/MUNAS VII/MUI/15/2005 concerning the Ahmadiyah Sect which states that the government is obliged to prohibit the spread of Ahmadiyah beliefs throughout Indonesia and freeze the organization and close all places of activity. Another basis is the Joint Decree (SKB) of the Minister of Religion, Attorney General, and Minister of Home Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia Number 3 of 2008 concerning Ahmadiyah. This regulation asks the Ahmadiyah congregation to stop spreading interpretations and activities that deviate from the basic teachings of the Islamic religion. There is also the Governor of West Java Regulation Number 12 of 20211 concerning Prohibition of Indonesian Ahmadiyah Activities in West Java which regulates the prohibition on adherents, members or administrators of Ahmadiyah congregations from carrying out activities and activities in any form as long as they are related to spreading activities and activities that deviate from the main teachings of the religion. Islam. "That in accordance with the juridical basis as described above, in the context of realizing the task of monitoring and preventing abuse or blasphemy of religion as well as maintaining religious harmony and in the context of maintaining regional conduciveness for preventing horizontal conflicts in society and within the regional framework for preventing horizontal conflicts in society, ” it was written in the statement.
BandungBermobi l visited the Garut Regency Satpol PP office on Monday, July 8 2024 to directly confirm the action to seal the JAI mosque in Nyalindung Village. However, Kasatpol PP Usep Basuki Eko is said to be not in the office. At the Garut Regency Bakesbangpol office, it’s the same. The officer on duty reported that the Head of Bakesbangpol, Garut Regency, Nurodhin, was not in the office. The officer said that on Friday, July 5 2024, an open press conference was held at the Garut Regency Kesbangpol office. We were then asked to meet with the Coordinating Body for Supervision of Beliefs (Bakorpakem) at the Garut District Prosecutor’s Office. Head of Sub-Agency Intelligence Bakorpakem Garut District Prosecutor’s Office, Bimo Mahardika, was reluctant to be interviewed on the pretext of having given a statement at a press conference. Bimo then provided a copy of the press release as quoted in part above.
Categories: Ahmadis, Ahmadiyyat: True Islam, Indonesia