T

he atmosphere at the Sampang Shia Muslim refuge at the Puspa Agro apartments in Jemundo district, Sidoarjo regency, East Java, seemed livelier on Wednesday afternoon, as displaced children played along the corridors, while the men were seen chatting as they awaited the Magrib call to prayer.

'€œWe'€™re more relaxed now following the reconciliation [on Monday]. What I'€™m thinking about now is how we can immediately return to our home villages in Sampang. It'€™s still unclear due to the lack of response from the government,'€ Shiite representative Iklil al Milal told The Jakarta Post at the shelter.

'€œGod willing, we, the villagers here, are ready to accept them back. We are also prepared to assist them when needed because we have the time and the strength. The technicalities depend on the government,'€ said Saningwar from the Sunni community.

The Sampang Sunni-Shiite conflict peaked on Aug. 27, 2012, when dozens of homes belonging to Shia followers were set alight and destroyed by a mob. The incident claimed two lives and displaced hundreds of Shiites.

There are currently 232 displaced people at the shelter hoping to return home. On Monday, both sides agreed to sign a peace treaty, which marked the end of the conflict.

Saningwar said the Sunni community was eager to initiate the reconciliation process because it claimed it was supported by moderate clerics in Madura.

However, he refused to reveal the clerics supporting the peace process on the grounds of harmony among Muslims in Madura.

He added that the main thing now was to rebuild the brotherhood that was earlier broken due to misunderstanding and provocation. The villagers, he added, were ready to help rebuild the homes razed by the mob.

Saningwar said many Sunni residents in Sampang wished to visit the displaced Shia at the shelter, but they feared the government would place the blame on them.

Iklil acknowledged that communication between Sunni residents and displaced Shia followers had further improved, especially after they became aware of the background of the riot and acknowledged their respective wrongdoings. Both sides acknowledged they were victims of slander, so they became hostile to each other.

'€œWe have put it all behind us. We won'€™t demand anything. For us, brotherhood is above all. We'€™ve apologized to each other and that makes them relieved and they wish to pay a visit to us here,'€ said Iklil, who is the elder brother of Sampang Shia leader Tajul Muluk.

'€œMany clerics in Madura support the reconciliation process without looking at the background of faith, as we are brothers among Muslims. So, if later there are clerics who feel ignored due to the reconciliation process, they should be questioned,'€ said Iklil.

While the Shiites have high hopes of returning home, the head of the Sampang reconciliation team, Abdul A'€™la, questioned the validity of the peace pact, tempo.co reported.

He said he would investigate the people who were behind the recent reconciliation. '€œIf the peace pact was carried out by a group of people not directly involved in the conflict, it means the peace treaty is just a formality and it cannot solve the problem,'€ A'€™la said as quoted by tempo.co on Wednesday.

He said according to his sources, some people had yet to allow Shia followers return to their villages. '€œThere is hatred among both sides,'€ said A'€™la.

Sampang Municipal Political and National Unity Office (Kesbangpol) head Rudy Setiady said as the treaty was not initiated by the government, the Shia refugees would not be sent home.