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t is indeed heartening that during his two-day visit here, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif voiced his country'€™s concerns over the fate of Shiites here who face constant persecution and violence from their Sunni compatriots, and even from the state itself.

It appears that the Iranian guest would have liked to have received assurances from the government that Indonesian Shiites '€” as well as citizens of other religions '€” have total freedom to practice their faith without fear and intimidation. But knowing President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono'€™s track record in managing minority groups, it is unlikely that Zarif will get a satisfactory response.

Iran is the world'€™s most important Shia hub and in parts of the world, especially in the Middle East, conflicts between Sunnis and Shiites are worsening. But this is not a pretext for the state to tolerate the oppression of minority groups here, including Shiites in Indonesia, which has the world'€™s largest Sunni population.

 This was probably the first time that Iran publicly acknowledged that it was concerned about the predicament of many Shiites in Indonesia who have been forced to '€œrepent'€ and become Sunnis.

The government knows well about the violence but appears to make light of the problem. Ideologically, many state players here believe that to be a Shiite in Indonesia is a serious mistake, and they do not want to create conflicts with hard-line groups who reject the presence of Shiites in this country.

Thousands of Shiites here, including those in West Java and Madura in East Java, have had to hide their true identity or flee their homes to avoid persecution. President Yudhoyono, it seems, has chosen to protect his image among the majority.

When asked about the Shiite issue by a reporter after meeting with his host Marty Natalegawa on Thursday, Zarif responded: '€œ[...] We hope that Iran and Indonesia as two important Islamic countries can be at the forefront of the call for various Muslim sects as well as all religions to work together towards peace and stability in Indonesia and elsewhere in the world.'€

When then Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visited Jakarta in 2006, thousands of students and young people greeted him like a super star from a Muslim world for his anti-West speeches. But at the same time many Indonesians do not want to see the existence of Shiites in their own country.

The Iranian foreign minister was right to raise his country'€™s concern with Indonesia, a friend of the major Middle East player.