Sampang Shiite community rejects relocation

A Maduranese Shia leader, Tajul Muluk, said on Monday that hundreds of Shiites in Sampang, Madura, East Java, rejected relocation following last week’s attack by a mob on their community’s compound.

“We want to live where we were born and raised. Relocating us is not the solution because nobody can guarantee that we will be safe in the new place,” Tajul said.

Earlier, East Java Vice Governor Saifullah Yusuf suggested that the Shiite community relocate to a transmigration area due to safety concerns.

Tajul said that he was urged to relocate to Malang, East Java, by the police in 2006, but refused to do so.

Surabaya coordinator of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) Andy Irfan said that the government’s suggestion proved that it could not guarantee its citizens’ right to practice their faith.

Andy added that the government had failed to protect minorities.

More than 300 Shiites, including 150 children, were forced to leave their houses and to stay at a sports center 20 kilometers away from their compound.

“We want to go home to look after our animals, which are our main income sources. If my cows are dead, I will lose my income,” a Shiite, Ahmad Jamali, told The Jakarta Post.

Jamali said that he was also worried that the mob would launch a second attack on their property.

The mob torched down the community’s property, including an Islamic school building established by Tajul in 2004, a mosque and teachers’ houses, last week, forcing hundreds of its members to evacuate.

The police have named a suspect, identified only as M. (swd)