At the Mubarak Mosque in Bandung, a meeting space for residents became the starting point for discussions about discrimination and the state’s responsibility to guarantee religious freedom.
Author Daffa Fadillah July 25, 2026
BandungBergerak – On Jalan Pahlawan, Bandung City, stands the Mubarak Mosque, managed by the Ahmadiyya community. The Mubarak Mosque serves not only internal worshippers but is also open to the general public for worship and to use supporting facilities such as restrooms and social spaces.
The head of the Mubarak Mosque’s Islamic Student Council (DKM), Imat Nimatullah Bang, stated that in addition to managing the mosque, his organization also maintains a table tennis community that has grown organically through WhatsApp and Facebook groups. Most of the community members come from outside the Ahmadiyya community.
According to Imat, the activity not only provides a space for exercise but also provides an opportunity for dialogue with the community. Through daily interactions, mosque administrators strive to clarify various information, including stigma, circulating about the Ahmadiyya community.
“I truly believe that Bandung is special. It should not be an intolerant city. Even if there are those who pollute it, it is only a handful of actors. The character of young people and the people of Bandung is not like that,” said Imat in the Civic-Tastic Interfaith Relations Series discussion (Part 1) held by the Indonesian Peace School (Sekodi) Bandung at the Mubarak Mosque, Jalan Pahlawan, Saturday, July 18, 2026.
Imat also recounted experiencing discriminatory treatment from someone. However, after discussing it, their relationship improved and they became friends.
However, the man who has lived in Bandung for 44 years acknowledged that not all dialogues have resulted in the same outcome. Some residents have chosen not to return to worship at the Mubarak Mosque after learning it was managed by the Ahmadiyah community.
The Civic-Tastic Interfaith Relations Discussion Series (Part 1) organized by the Indonesian Peace School brought together interfaith figures, legal aid practitioners, academics, and journalists to discuss freedom of religion and belief in West Java.
Three speakers were present at the forum, namely Sabahudin from LBH Bandung, Victor Wibowo from the Indonesian Christian Church (GKI) Maulana Yusuf, and Rahma Roshadi from Lajnah Imaillah, an Ahmadiyah women’s organization.
The sources assessed that West Java remains one of the regions with recurring intolerance issues. They noted that various cases are not solely driven by interfaith sentiment but also related to regional regulations deemed to restrict the exercise of freedom of religion and belief.
Sekodi Bandung Regional Coordinator Fanny S. Alam said that the categorization of majority and minority in a number of public policies has the potential to become the basis for the birth of discriminatory practices.
He cited the Joint Decree (SKB) of 3 Ministers and a number of West Java Governor Regulations as examples which were deemed to have had an impact on the emergence of cases of intolerance.
Regulations that should regulate are often used as a justification for discriminatory actions.
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Civic-Tastic Series Discussion on Interfaith Relations (Part 1) held by the Indonesian Peace School (Sekodi) Bandung at the Mubarak Mosque, Jalan Pahlawan, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (Photo: Daffa Fadillah/BandungBergerak)
The State Has Three Human Rights Obligations
Sabahudin explained that freedom of religion or belief is part of the forum internum, namely rights that are non-derogable rights or cannot be reduced under any circumstances, including when the country is in a state of emergency.
He referred to Article 28 and Article 29 of the 1945 Constitution and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) which Indonesia has ratified.
According to Sabahudin, the state has three main obligations in fulfilling human rights, namely respecting, protecting, and fulfilling the right to freedom of religion or belief.
In this context, he believes that the state should not intervene in citizens’ beliefs or label religious groups, and must protect vulnerable groups from intimidation and facilitate the practice of worship without distinguishing between majority and minority status.
On the other hand, Sabahudin assessed that a number of derivative regulations, such as PNPS Number 1 of 1965 and the Joint Regulation of the Two Ministers concerning the establishment of houses of worship, still left problems because they were deemed not fully in line with the principle of protecting constitutional rights.
Sabahudin revealed LBH Bandung’s records regarding a number of programs that claimed to be religious guidance but in practice often shifted to become instruments of surveillance against certain religious groups.
The discussion also highlighted the alleged involvement of a number of community organizations in various cases of persecution against certain religious or belief groups, including those affecting the Ahmadiyah community in Depok and HKBP.
Sabahudin stated that the issue of freedom of religion and belief is not sufficiently understood as a conflict between citizens. He argued that the greater challenge is ensuring that state regulations and policies do not become instruments that open up space for discrimination in the name of harmony or fostering religious beliefs.
Meanwhile, Victor Wibowo from the GKI Maulana Yusuf Church (GKI Maulana Yusuf) stated that churches also face similar issues. He stated that loopholes in the Joint Ministerial Regulation concerning the construction of houses of worship are often exploited to challenge the renovation of long-standing church buildings. As a result, the administrative process becomes an obstacle to fulfilling residents’ right to worship.
At the end of the discussion, the participants emphasized the importance of monitoring the implementation of the West Java Regional Action Plan Matrix (RAD) 2025–2029, especially the mapping and evaluation agenda for regional regulations deemed discriminatory.
According to the speakers, the practice of tolerance has grown in many areas of society. The next challenge is ensuring the state fulfills its obligation to respect, protect, and fulfill the right of every citizen to freedom of religion and belief without discrimination.
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Categories: Ahmadis, Ahmadiyyat: True Islam, Asia, Indonesia, Intolerance, Intra-Religious Tolerance, Tolerance