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“I once reported that Ahmadiyah was a heretical sect and that Ahmadiyah wives were shared wives. But it turns out that information was untrue,” said NS, a female journalist from Kendari, during a closed-door discussion (FGD) at the Media Festival held at Fort Rotterdam, Makassar City (September 13, 2025).
NS delivered a “confession” related to his experience as a journalist reporting on the rejection of the Ahmadiyah in South Konawe approximately 15 years ago. Drawing on this personal experience, NS urged the Ahmadiyah community to collaborate with media outlets in Southeast Sulawesi.
Because, he added, there is still a lot of inaccurate information (disinformation) about the Ahmadiyah in Southeast Sulawesi. As part of the Kendari chapter of the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), NS believes it’s crucial for AJI to play an educational role by providing comprehensive information about the Ahmadiyah and changing the public’s perspective on the Ahmadiyah, toward greater respect, non-stigmatization, and non-judgment.
The FGD “Building Fair Reporting” at the 2025 AJI Media Festival in collaboration with the Indonesian Ahmadiyah Congregation and the Union of Journalists for Diversity (SEJUK) was attended by more than 30 participants from journalists, student press, academics, the Community Legal Aid Institute (LBH Masyarakat), and other civil society organizations.
Journalists from various regional media outlets – not only from Sulawesi Island, but also from Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan – as well as national media outlets, also expressed their views that the media should not continue to report on differences in beliefs, including those of Ahmadiyah Muslims, with provocative framing or narratives that could have a negative impact on the rights of Ahmadiyah members.
Collaboration
The Indonesian Ahmadiyya Congregation (JAI) and the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) held a discussion on Ahmadiyya Muslims. As a religious organization still frequently plagued by government discrimination and intolerance from some Muslims, the discussion took place at AJI’s Media Festival.
At the 2025 Media Festival, Ahmadiyya Muslims are one of the marginalized communities participating in enlivening AJI’s annual event. This year’s Media Festival, organized by AJI Indonesia in collaboration with AJI Makassar, provides a space for JAI to strengthen its collaboration with journalists from across Indonesia.
The JAI (Indonesian Islamic Association) took advantage of this opportunity to hold a focus group discussion (FGD) and an exhibition of Ahmadiyya translations of the Quran. These two JAI activities were part of the Tasyakur (Thanksgiving) program “100 Years of Ahmadiyya in Indonesia, Radiating a Loving, Peaceful Islam,” which was accessible directly to journalists.
Ibrahim Arsyad, representing the Palembang City Association of Journalists (AJI), highlighted the low literacy levels of the public, and even journalists. He noted that AJI has been a valuable resource for him and other journalists in understanding and educating the public about the importance of respecting religious diversity and other marginalized groups.
“If journalists are not familiar with religious groups or organizations and beliefs, such as the Ahmadiyah, at least they should not produce provocative news,” Ibrahim said.
Ahmadiyah Fact Check
In fact, various collaborative efforts between the Ahmadiyya Movement (JAI) and the media continue to be strengthened to jointly build the nation. Ahmadiyya has always been open to anyone, including researchers, academics, and journalists, to work together to build the nation through humanitarian actions, health, education, and a spirit of interfaith cooperation among Ahmadiyya Muslims. Many media outlets have visited the JAI headquarters in Parung, Bogor.
Ahmadiyah, according to the Spokesperson for the Indonesian Ahmadiyah Congregation, Yendra Budiana, even gave the Indonesian media the opportunity to conduct fact-checks at the world Ahmadiyah center in London.
“Those who have fact-checked the coverage of Ahmadiyah London are Tempo Chief Editor Setri Yasra, IDN Times Chief Editor Uni Lubis, Liputan 6 Chief Editor Elin Kristianti, Tempo Deputy Chief Editor Yandrie, and IDN Times Deputy Chief Editor Umi Kulsum at the Jalsah International UK, 2023 and 2024,” explained Yendra in the FGD facilitated by Tantowi Anwari, familiarly known as Thowik from SEJUK.
Thowik also reminded journalists reporting on issues involving marginalized groups like the Ahmadiyah to remain loyal to the Journalistic Code of Ethics and adhere to the Guidelines for Reporting on Diversity Issues (PPIK), which were approved by the Press Council in November 2022.
Therefore, JAI Spokesperson Yendra, Regional Preacher of the Ahmadiyah Congregation of South Sulawesi Muhammad Yaqub, and Chairperson of the Ahmadiyah women’s wing organization, Lajnah Imaillah, South Sulawesi Region, Ardiana, welcomed the invitation to collaborate put forward by journalists participating in the FGD to create media literacy that upholds humanity even more.
However, Ahmadiyya Muslims in 400 regions across Indonesia have tirelessly maintained a spirit of love and humanity since before Indonesia’s independence. Unfortunately, their humanitarian efforts have been drowned out by the political hatred still fueled by those who have never directly learned the truth about Ahmadiyya.
On the other hand, the efforts of Ahmadiyah in the community in contributing to the fields of education, health, environment, and other socio-religious issues are not yet widely known by the public and the government, even though the community has received many benefits from Ahmadiyah’s humanitarian work.
Ahmadiyah Coverage Fellowship
In moving the spirit of “tasyakur” 100 Years of Ahmadiyah in Indonesia Radiating Islam Love Full of Peace, Ahmadiyah Muslims (JAI) collaborate with various parties who have a shared mission to build the country. JAI dialogued with journalists, academics and religious figures Prof. Qasim Mathar (Professor of UIN Alauddin Makassar), human rights workers, and civil society organizations working on tolerance issues, Jalin Harmoni represented by Christina Josefien Hutubessy to jointly encourage the media in Indonesia to voice more grassroots democratic initiatives contributed by Ahmadiyah Muslims.
They are among the sources with the credibility and capacity to serve as sources of news about the Ahmadiyah. In addition to the JAI spokesperson, the South Sulawesi regional Ahmadiyah preacher, and the head of the South Sulawesi Lajnah Imaillah, the non-Ahmadi sources in the FGD are familiar with and understand the religious principles and practices and the lives of Ahmadiyah Muslims, who adhere to the motto “Love For All, Hatred For None.”
“The 100th anniversary celebration of Ahmadiyya Muslims in Indonesia will continue to encourage long-term and short-term collaboration with the media, especially those in the regions. Therefore, we appreciate the good efforts of our media partners who have been reporting on the Ahmadiyya.”
“For the short term, from October to December 2025, JAI will also provide fellowships to regional media outlets that wish to highlight various Ahmadiyah issues,” said Yendra Budiana, who is also JAI’s Press Secretary.
Yendra explained that the fellowship program covering Ahmadiyah would be launched on October 1 and would run until December 2025.
Ahmadiyah Exhibition: Getting to Know Ahmadiyah Directly from the Source
The enthusiasm of journalists, participants at the 2025 Media Festival, and the Makassar public to learn more about Ahmadiyya was evident in the lively exhibition of Ahmadiyya Translations of the Quran and the 100-Year Contribution of Ahmadiyya Muslims in Indonesia. The exhibition was held from September 12-14, 2025, as part of the AJI 2025 Media Festival.
Ahmadiyya Muslims have long translated the Quran into English, in 1905 and 1917. After that, they translated the Quran into various other languages.
“The Ahmadiyah has now translated the Quran into 78 international languages. This doesn’t include translations of the Quran into local languages, such as Sundanese, Javanese, and Balinese, in Indonesia,” said Yendra.
Of course, this exhibition serves as a way to demonstrate that the accusation of Tadzkirah (religious interpretation) of the Ahmadiyya Muslim holy book is a slander that is very easy to refute. At this exhibition, the Regional Amir of the Ahmadiyya Congregation in South Sulawesi, Asyraf Ahmad M., noted that many visitors to the exhibition wanted to continue their initial encounter with Ahmadis to discuss Ahmadis at the Ahmadiyya headquarters in Makassar.
According to Asyraf, the number of visitors who came to the Ahmadiyya Translation of the Quran and the 100-Year Contribution of Ahmadiyya Muslims in Indonesia exhibition stand reached almost 1,000.
“Based on the list in the exhibition guest book, at least 800 people visited our exhibition, not including those who did not fill out the attendance list,” said Asyraf, while thanking AJI Makassar for giving JAI the opportunity to participate in the 2025 Media Festival.
For Asyraf, everyone’s honest perception of Ahmadiyah will be evident if they hear and learn about it directly from the source, not from those who hate Ahmadiyah without conducting tabayyun (verification and confirmation) with the Ahmadiyah congregation. His hope, Asyraf continued, is that more people in South Sulawesi and Indonesia in general will be able to learn and understand Ahmadiyah directly from the Ahmadiyah congregation. [Thowik SEJUK]
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Editorial
Journalists Association for Diversity (SEJUK) is an organization formed by journalists, activists, and writers to encourage the creation of society, with the support of the mass media, to respects, protects, and maintains diversity as part of the defense of human rights. SEJUK actively promotes perspectives of pluralism, human rights, gender, and diversity of sexuality to revive peaceful journalism. The aim is to spread issues of diversity in religion/belief, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation as well as other minority groups.
source https://sejuk.org/2025/09/20/ahmadiyah-giat-menebar-cinta-di-festival-media-2025/
Categories: Ahmadis, Ahmadiyyat: True Islam, Asia, Indonesia