Ahmadiyah members plead for tolerance as tensions rise

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Sat, 04/19/2008 12:24 PM  |  Headlines

As the Friday prayer approached, Nita Salman, 41, missed her female friends who usually attended the weekly prayer at Al Hidayah Mosque in Cideng, Central Jakarta.

There were less than 20 people in the women's section of the mosque that was established by Islamic sect Jamaah Ahmadiyah.

"Up to 30 of 126 female (sect) members in Central Jakarta, usually participate in the Friday prayer. Some of them are reluctant to come to the mosque today because rumor has it that other Islamic groups will stage a protest against us," Nita, who heads the Central Jakarta chapter's women's board, said.

Unlike the majority of Muslim women who are not required to attend Friday prayer, the day is used by Ahmadiyah's women members to pray and hold Koran reciting sessions.

"Today, this room feels so empty," Nita said.

Ahmadiyah members are having a hard time nowadays, after the government, through its Coordinating Board for Monitoring Mystical Beliefs in Society, issued a recommendation to ban the sect in the country on Wednesday.

Its members have often been target of violence and threats from other Islamic groups in past years, and tension has increased after the board announced the recommendation.

Although there has been no physical violence toward any member in the city, the threats from several Islamic groups has spread anxiety among the members.

On Friday, several police officers guarded the Ahmadiyah mosque, which also functions as the headquarters of the sect's Central Jakarta chapter, to counter any possible attack to the office.

In spite of the prejudice of many people, members of Ahmadiyah hardly appear different to other Muslims in the city. The women sport jeans, casual long-sleeved blouses and headscarves while the men wear ordinary shirts and trousers.

They come from different backgrounds and professions. Some of them are employees in state and private companies or are in business while others dedicate themselves as the group's executives.

Nita said she had been born an Ahmadiyah.

"My family have been members for generations, since the group entered Indonesia in the 1920's," Nita, who is an English lecturer, said.

Nita said there were several minor differences in living as a sect member, expressed through various aspects of life.

For example, members have to marry other members, or they will lose their rights to be appointed as one of the sect's executives, she said.

Nita said any Muslim could be a member of the sect as long as he or she agrees to obey the 10 requirements of being a good follower.

"Once you join the group, you will take an oath to obey the requirements and sign an agreement. As a member, you should contribute between one sixteenth to one third of your income to the group to finance the group's activities, like donating money to orphans."

Zaefrullah Pontoh, the executive of the Central Jakarta branch, said he joined the group in 1975.

"My parents were not Ahmadiyah members. I found its teachings through books and I became interested in joining it. Now, I dedicate my life to the group," Pontoh said.

He said the group had about 5,000 members and five mosques in five municipalities in the city.

Ahmadiyah members still hope the situation will get better for them.

"We have never been in this situation for more than 70 years in this country. Please, we just need freedom and peace to continue our worship as Muslims," Nita said.

"You see, we don't do harmful things. We're just like ordinary people. If people come to us politely, we will welcome them in the same manner," she said. (trw)

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