Discrimination against Ahmadiyah continues to occur. However, its young people do not stop trying to do good for others.
Author Editorial Team May 28, 2025
BandungBergerak – Born into an Ahmadiyah family, Yumna Tahira was introduced to the values upheld by this religious community since she was little. Including their motto: “Love for Everyone, and Hatred for No One.” Now at the age of 21, she has registered as a cornea donor, in addition to regularly donating blood.
Yumna, who is currently studying at Pasundan University (Unpas) Bandung, admitted that she had no special reason to donate her eyes. She did it purely for humanity. She was happy that part of her life was donated to humanity.
“I always think that we must always spread kindness and love to everyone without having to judge a particular person or group,” said Yumna, when met at a cafe on Jalan Lengkong Tengah, Bandung, Friday, May 2, 2025.
The Ahmadiyah community has long been known as a consistent pioneer of the eye donor movement, amidst the high need for cornea donors in Indonesia. In Tenjowaringin Village, Tasikmalaya Regency, thousands of residents—mostly members of the Ahmadiyah Congregation—have expressed their willingness to become eye donors. Since 2018, this village has been ordained as the first Eye Donor Alert Village in Indonesia.
The eye donor initiative was born from the national program of the Indonesian Ahmadiyah Congregation (JAI) since 2016. In the first two years, the Tasikmalaya Chapter recorded 144 donors, the majority from Tenjowaringin Village ( BandungBergerak , accessed Wednesday, May 21, 2025.
In fact, the need for corneas in Indonesia is still very large. More than 3 million people are blind, and more than 1,000 patients in West Java are still queuing for corneas. However, eye donation is not as popular as blood donation. The number of donors nationally is still minimal—only around 14 thousand people—so Indonesia still relies on cornea imports from abroad.
In the midst of this situation, Ahmadiyah is present as a community that really encourages humanitarian solidarity through the practice of eye donation, as Yumna did. And this woman is not alone. Many young Ahmadiyah people, including women, are also active in social and humanitarian issues.
“We are always asked to ‘it’s okay, we have to be active outside too’. [So] Not being closed off, not always being afraid, no. Instead, we have to prove that we can do it too, especially women, [have to] be active everywhere,” said Yumna, accompanied by the strains of cafe music.
Yumna herself is active in the Ahmadiyah women’s youth program or known as the Ahmadiyah Moslem Student Association for Women (AMSAW). This community has a humanitarian agenda ‘Amshare’, a routine program in the form of community service in the form of social service.
“We, the young people from Ahmadiyah, usually gather at orphanages, or for example we share during the fasting month, sharing takjil,” said Yumna.
Mubarak Mosque Social Service Activities in the holy month of Ramadan 1446 H, with the WR Supratman Library as a backdrop, Sunday, March 23, 2025. (Photo: Denny M. Rizkyana)
Speaking Up for Vulnerable Groups
In addition to being listed as a cornea donor, Sabahuddin, 24, one of the young Ahmadiyah people, devotes much of his time to grassroots movements. He is busy participating in various activities ranging from education, human rights and democracy, advocacy for victims of discrimination, to humanitarian solidarity for Papua.
Sabah, as he is usually called, believes that the voices of vulnerable groups must be echoed in various spaces, from discussions to street actions. As an Ahmadi who is also a vulnerable group, he is aware of many other vulnerable groups in Indonesia whose rights are neglected. And they must be defended.
The Interfaith Network (Jakatarub) was the first organization Sabah joined. Starting from an invitation from her friend to join the committee for an event initiated by the diversity organization, she is still active today.
Sabah is also active in the Jabar Youth Advocacy Network. On April 14-17, 2025, he took part in the Youth Advocacy and Mentoring activities attended by friends from various faiths from various networks. Sabah admitted that he learned a lot, especially about the issues of Freedom of Religion and Belief (KBB) which are still fundamental problems in Indonesia.
“Also learn what KBB [Freedom of Religion and Belief] is, [and] why vulnerable groups must be fought for,” he said, when met in the Batununggal area, Tuesday, April 22, 2025.
In every social activity, Sabah likes concrete actions the most. According to him, voicing the fulfillment of the rights of vulnerable groups requires a diverse approach.
“Not only culturally, but also structurally. So if in the actions, culturally and structurally can also be seen,” he said.
Sabah realizes that his religious identity is a vulnerable group that often experiences discrimination and intolerance, although he does not always bring his identity into his various social activism. He believes that the controversy about Ahmadiyah out there is caused by the meaning, while his group’s worship practices are the same as the majority of Muslims.
Making Friends at the WR Supratman Library
On Jalan Pahlawan, Bandung, the Mubarak Mosque stands majestically with its predominantly white paint and ornaments, and a banner with the Ahmadiyah motto clearly displayed. This place of worship for the Ahmadi community is quite spacious because it has a security room, meeting room, library, and also a Homeopathy alternative medicine clinic for the general public.
In the midst of the drizzle, Thursday, April 24, 2025, the Head of the Central Bandung Ahmadiyah Indonesian Congregation (JAI) Branch Denny Muhammad Rizkyana and Ahmadiyah Mubaligh Iskandar Ahmad Gumay warmly welcomed them. They invited them to chat in the WR Supratman Library room. Various snacks and drinks were spread out on the table.
Wage Rudolf Supratman is immortalized as the name of the library to commemorate the services of the national figure with an Ahmadiyah background, whose song, Indonesia Raya, is always sung at official state events. Various books and translations of the Qur’an in various languages are stored here.
This year, the journey of the Indonesian Ahmadiyya Community is exactly one hundred years old. This community has become part of society by taking part and contributing social and humanitarian contributions in the archipelago under the motto “Love for All, Hatred for None”. The scope of their work spans from the health, environment, disaster, to education sectors.
Denny said, in addition to being a place of worship, the Mubarak Mosque is the center of social activities for the Ahmadi community. One of them is organizing and facilitating the community to donate blood and corneas. The blood donation activity, which is carried out every three months, has been started since 10 years ago by collaborating with Indonesian Red Cross officers.
JAI Central Bandung Branch presents a Homeopathy alternative medicine clinic that opens practice every Friday. The general public from any group can access it for free.
“Allopathy is a common treatment. So, we have doctors ready. Then (there is) also Homeopathy treatment (for) those who need it if this Allopathy treatment is no longer effective,” explained Denny.
The Ahmadiyah community also routinely carries out social services in the form of distributing basic necessities twice a year, namely during the month of Ramadan and in August, coinciding with the birth of Indonesian independence. In the celebration of August 17, a flag ceremony was held followed by competitions and the distribution of basic necessities. A total of 100-200 aid packages were given to the surrounding community in need.
In the environmental sector, JAI Bandung has a “Clean the City” program, an adaptation of the Ahmadiyah youth in England who are active in environmental cleanliness. Usually the activity is held in Bandung Square.
JAI Bandung also has a non-profit organization Humanity First that focuses on disasters. Quoting the book Sumbangsih Ahmadiyah Bagi Negeri, Humanity First is an organization founded by Mirza Tahir Ahmad, the world leader of the Ahmadiyah Muslim Community at that time. The purpose and objective of establishing the organization is to alleviate human suffering, both physical and mental, and to provide humanitarian assistance regardless of ethnicity, race, religion, or politics. In Indonesia, Humanity First was founded in 2004 when Aceh experienced a tsunami disaster.
The Ban on Jalsah Salanah and the Grim Portrait of KBB Violations
Throughout its journey in this country, the Ahmadiyah congregation still has to face various acts of intolerance to this day. The forms are diverse, ranging from bans on worship, sealing of mosques, disbanding of annual meetings, to attacks on places of worship and residents’ homes. Not only that, administrative discrimination such as refusal to make ID cards, birth certificates, and change of domicile letters are also still experienced.
In West Java, the ban on the annual Jalsah Salanah event in Manislor Village, Kuningan, at the end of 2024 marked a new episode in the long record of intolerant acts against this community. The Kuningan Regency Government, through a letter dated December 4 and 5, 2024, officially banned the event on the grounds of maintaining regional conduciveness. This ban was signed by the Acting Regent and Regional Secretary, and came into effect just two days after President Prabowo voiced the importance of diversity and harmony during Muhammadiyah’s 112th Milad.
The local government’s move immediately drew criticism from various human rights organizations. Amnesty International Indonesia’s Executive Director, Usman Hamid, called the ban a form of repression of religious freedom guaranteed by the constitution.
“The reason for maintaining conduciveness is unacceptable. This is a form of repression against religious freedom guaranteed by the Constitution,” Usman stressed.
According to Usman, such actions are not new. Discrimination against Ahmadiyah has been going on for a long time in the form of disbandment of activities, intimidation, expulsion, and even persecution. Amnesty urges the central government to revoke the Joint Decree (SKB) of the Three Ministers in 2008 which became the basis for discriminatory actions against the Ahmadiyah community.
Setara Institute, a research institute that focuses on human rights and religious freedom issues, also strongly criticized the actions of the Kuningan Forkopimda. Halili Hasan, Executive Director of Setara Institute, called the ban a blatant violation of the constitution.
According to the Setara Institute, JAI is one of the main victims of violations of religious freedom, especially in West Java. Throughout the monitoring of this institution since 2007, there have been 49 incidents of violations against JAI in the province with the largest population in Indonesia.
Similar criticism came from the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) together with Formassi West Java, LBH Bandung, and Jakatarub. In their statement, they called the ban on Jalsah Salanah and the threat of sweeping and demolition of the event location as “a form of active state involvement in human rights violations”.
YLBHI said that Jalsah Salanah is a legal meeting, held in its own territory, and does not disturb other parties. Prohibiting it means denying the 1945 Constitution Article 29 and Article 28E which guarantee freedom of religion and assembly. Rejection from community groups should be mediated, not used as a reason for disbandment.
The ban on Jalsah Salanah in Kuningan confirms one thing: intolerance is still a serious problem that is allowed to persist by the state. Instead of protecting the rights of its citizens, the local government is bowing to pressure from intolerant groups. In a country of law, actions like this are not only unconstitutional, but also a form of betrayal of the state’s promise of protection to all Indonesian people.
Intolerance in West Java
The case of violations against the freedom of religion and belief (KBB) of the minority Ahmadiyah congregation is in line with the latest SETARA Institute report. In the report titled “KBB Conditions 2024: Regression in the Midst of Transition”, West Java again recorded the highest number of KBB violations nationally.
Based on SETARA’s monitoring results throughout 2024, 38 violation incidents were recorded in this province, surpassing five other provinces with the highest number of incidents: East Java (34 violation incidents), DKI Jakarta (31 violation incidents), North Sumatra (29 violation incidents), South Sulawesi (18 violation incidents), and Banten (17 violation incidents).
These findings indicate that the trend of KBB violations in West Java has not improved significantly compared to the previous year. In 2023, West Java will also be the region with the highest number of violations. The consistency of West Java’s position as the province with the highest record of KBB violations indicates a systemic problem in diversity governance at the local level.
SETARA Institute recorded a total of 260 incidents of KBB violations nationally during 2024, with 402 accompanying actions. This number increased compared to 2023 which recorded 217 incidents with 329 actions. Of the total 402 actions, 159 were carried out by state actors and 243 by non-state actors.
The dynamics of national politics, especially the implementation of the Presidential and legislative elections on February 14, and the simultaneous regional elections on November 27, are among the factors driving the increase in violations. Although the use of religious-based identity politics did not occur as massively as in previous years (2014 and 2019), findings show that the politicization of religion continues to emerge in a number of regions.
In the classification of violations, acts of intolerance originating from society reached 73 cases, while discriminatory acts by the state were recorded at 50 cases. This figure has increased compared to 2023, where intolerance was recorded at 26 cases and discrimination by the state at 23 cases.
Of the total 159 actions by state actors, the majority came from local government institutions with 50 actions, followed by the police (30), Satpol PP (21), and 10 actions each by the TNI and the Prosecutor’s Office, and 6 actions by the Forkopimda.
Violations committed by non-state actors also show a worrying pattern. Religious organizations were the largest perpetrators with 49 acts, followed by citizen groups (40), individual citizens (28), the Indonesian Ulema Council (21), general organizations and individuals (11 each), and community leaders (10).
In the issue of blasphemy, there was a sharp increase from 15 cases in 2023 to 42 cases in 2024. Of this number, there were seven cases of prosecution and seven cases of determination of suspects for blasphemy by state officials, as well as 29 cases of reporting by the public.
SETARA Institute also highlighted the disruption of the establishment and operation of places of worship. Although the number of disruptions decreased from 65 cases in 2023 to 42 cases in 2024, this problem has not been resolved systematically. In many cases, the main obstacle comes from the implementation of the Joint Regulation of the Minister of Religion and the Minister of Home Affairs (PBM) Number 9 and 8 of 2006, which is considered to have nine loci of discrimination both in intent and effect.
SETARA Institute together with a team of researchers urge the new government under President Prabowo Subianto to take concrete steps. The government has a “strategic opportunity to reverse the negative trend through leadership that makes the advancement of KBB a priority agenda.”
Discussion activities of the Indonesian Ahmadiyah Congregation for women’s groups at the 2025 National Amsaw Gathering event. Held on January 24-25, 2025 in Bogor City (Photo: Yumna Tahira)
Legal Basis and Legality of the Indonesian Ahmadiyya Congregation
The intolerant practice towards Ahmadiyah is certainly not without a beginning. Ahmadiyah preacher Iskandar Ahmad Gumay explained that the existence of the Indonesian Ulema Council Fatwa in 1980 made Ahmadiyah considered ‘out of Islam’. In fact, Ahmadiyah itself has no differences in its worship procedures.
“The fact that I convey, since [the year] 1925 to 1980 there has never been any from the government, let alone until now, there has been no freezing, dissolution, or prohibition, nothing. Ahmadiyah is official. Until today, its legal entity has never been revoked,” explained Iskandar.
The reality experienced by Ahmadiyah residents is different from the mandate of the constitution. The 1945 Constitution emphasizes that Indonesia is a country that respects and protects the rights and freedoms of every citizen, including the right to freedom of opinion, expression, association, assembly, religion, and belief. The state guarantees this protection and freedom without discriminating against ethnicity, race, group or class. Unfortunately, this highest foundation is now often ignored even by the state.
In terms of legality, Ahmadiyah is an official organization. According to the book Basic Law & Legality of the Indonesian Ahmadiyah Congregation by H. Munasir Sidik, SH, dated March 13, 1953 the Minister of Justice of the Republic of Indonesia through Decree No. JA.5/23/13 recognized the Association or Organization of the Indonesian Ahmadiyah Congregation as a legal entity. The Decree of the Minister of Justice was published in the Supplement to the State Gazette of the Republic of Indonesia dated March 31, 1953 Number 26.
The completeness of the Indonesian Ahmadiyah Congregation Organization is also recognized as having fulfilled the requirements of Law Number 8 of 1985 concerning Community Organizations, so that the existence of the Indonesian Ahmadiyah Congregation is declared to be in accordance with applicable laws and regulations by the Directorate General of Social Politics of the Ministry of Home Affairs with Letter Number 363.A/DPM/505/93.
Iskandar argued that problems and negative views towards Ahmadiyah often arise in society due to the lack of meeting spaces. That is why JAI initiated studies by inviting elements of society from various circles. Not only at the Mubarak Mosque, studies were also held at several campuses in Bandung.
“We invite Muhammadiyah, we invite Nahdlatul Ulama, we invite Shia. And interestingly enough we invite Catholics, Christians,” said Iskandar.
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Demanding the State’s Role
LBH Bandung President Director Heri Pramono said that Ahmadiyah residents are part of the diverse Indonesian citizens. They have the right to have their rights fulfilled.
“In the context of Human Rights, Freedom of Religion or Belief, the state has an obligation to respect and protect,” said Heri.
According to Heri, the state should be passive in determining the religion of each citizen. But on the contrary, the state must be present in providing services to all its citizens, including vulnerable minority groups such as Ahmadiyah.
“In the context of protection, the state should be present when the group wants to express their religion. For example, through worship or gatherings for worship,” Heri explained.
In fact, Ahmadiyah residents have not received full protection from the state. Most recently, the Ahmadiyah centenary commemoration event titled Jalsah Ahmadiyah which was centered in Kuningan Regency, received intolerant actions. According to Heri, the state should provide protection so that the Jalsah Ahmadiyah event can be carried out solemnly.
Heri also mentioned the existence of discriminatory regulations in the province of West Java in the Governor Regulation Number 12 of 2011 concerning the Prohibition of Ahmadiyah Congregation Activities . Including the Joint Decree of 3 Ministers regarding the warning to Ahmadiyah .
“It is very unfortunate. In fact, the state should have an obligation to protect, but instead it becomes an actor of human rights violations by allowing [the existence of] such regulations,” he said.
How to View Ahmadiyah
Ucu Cintarsih, Coordinator of the Interfaith Network (Jakatarub), emphasized that such discriminatory actions are a violation of the basic rights of citizens. Jakatarub often provides assistance to the Ahmadiyah community, especially when they face violence or violations of their right to worship.
“The biggest problem in the Ahmadiyah case lies in the intolerance of some people, which is exacerbated by the government’s discriminatory policies,” said Ucu. He added that Ahmadiyah children also often experience discrimination in educational environments.
According to Ucu, many Ahmadiyah members are afraid to reveal their religious identity in public. “Most of the Ahmadiyah friends I know are often afraid to say that they are from Ahmadiyah,” he said.
Ucu emphasized the importance of a safe space for the Ahmadiyah community to be able to convey their aspirations. Through interfaith dialogue and advocacy on religious freedom issues, Jakatarub seeks to present an inclusive space in Greater Bandung.
In line with Ucu, Setara Institute Executive Director Halili Hasan emphasized that Ahmadiyah has the same constitutional rights as other citizens. In an interview conducted via WhatsApp, Halili stated that discrimination against Ahmadiyah often arises due to stigma, not factual basis.
He mentioned three important steps that society must take to guarantee the rights of Ahmadiyah: acceptance, recognition, and inclusion.
“The first is acceptance, which is a sincere acceptance of Ahmadiyah, even though there is disagreement with their teachings,” Halili explained. He called this concept sublimated disapproval, which is a form of disagreement that does not lead to violence or violation of rights.
The second step is recognition. “They are citizens. They pay taxes. There is no reason to treat them differently,” Halili said.
The last and most important step is inclusion. According to him, inclusion is the pinnacle of tolerance. “When we treat them humanely as human entities, that is the true form of tolerance,” Halili concluded.
Protection of religious rights is a non-negotiable part of humanity. “Love for All, and Hatred for None”, as the motto of Ahmadiyah, are values that can be carried out by anyone, especially by the state.
*This coverage is part of a collaboration between BandungBergerak and the International NGO Forum on Indonesian Development (INFID) in the training and implementation program of Inclusive Journalism. The report was written by Doni Setiawan & Alya Natasya from LPM Jumpa Unpas
Categories: Ahmadis, Ahmadiyyat: True Islam, Asia, Indonesia