F

or the first time since taking refuge at Wisma Transito in Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), dozens of Ahmadi children received donations of Rp 800,000 (US$66) from the Social Affairs Ministry ahead of Ramadhan holy month.

'€œWe are thankful because this aid will help meet children'€™s school needs,'€ Syahidin, coordinator of the refugees, told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

In 2006, some 118 persons from 32 families took refugee at Wisma Transito when they were driven from their village in Ketapang, Gegerung, Lingsar district, West Lombok.

Since then, eight people have died and 22 babies have been born at Wisma Transito. The eight babies were among the 47 children who received donations from the ministry, which would not be regularly disbursed.

Syahidin said that although the displaced community appreciated the aid, they had a greater need for state protection and acknowledgement of their rights as citizens.

'€œI sincerely hope President SBY [Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono] will be able to address our problems before he steps down,'€ he said, adding that whomever was elected as the next president should protect minority rights.

This year, the community will perform their ninth fasting month in Wisma Transito. For many, returning home remains a dream.

'€œWe want to raise our children in our own homes,'€ said Halimah, 42.

Her six-year-old daughter, Natasha Januari Saputri, will enroll at an elementary school this year, but the girl does not have a birth certificate, which is the main enrollment requirement.

'€œWe really hope the next president will fight for our rights. We want a better place to live.'€ Halimah said.

Meanwhile, other Ahmadis at Nur Khilafat Mosque in Ciamis regency, West Java, faced the prospect of being unable to celebrate the beginning of Ramadhan in their mosque following its closure by regency authorities on Thursday.

Some members of the Indonesian Ahmadiyah Congregation (JAI) attempted to meet with representatives of Ciamis Regency on Friday to discuss the possibility of reopening the mosque, but their efforts were unsuccessful.

After waiting a couple of hours, the representatives were informed that Soekiman, the secretary'€™s assistant for economic development and welfare, was busy and the meeting would have to be put off until Monday.

Head of JAI Ciamis Kamal Abdul Aziz said his members respected the administration and would patiently wait for the meeting on Monday. He said they would not remove the seals, which were in the form of official white banners placed on the doors to the mosque. The banners stated that the mosque was closed.

'€œI hope the sealing of our mosque will be the last. Hopefully, this does not happen to other mosques,'€ Kamal told the Post.

Ahmadiyah cleric Padhal Ahmad said Ahmadis who normally worshipped in the mosque were forced to perform their Friday prayer in the home of a nearby resident. Fearing reprisals, they did not enter the sealed mosque to retrieve the carpet, loudspeaker or podium.

'€œWe hope the mosque will be opened again soon because Ramadhan is coming. We need the mosque to perform tarawih (extra prayer service during Ramadhan),'€ Padhal said.

The plight of the Ahmadis in Ciamis generated sympathy from Palti Panjaitan, the coordinator of Sobat KBB '€” a solidarity group for victims of religious rights violations.

Palti, in his role is the minister of the Batak Christian Protestant Church (HKBP) Filadelfia congregation in Bekasi, initiated an online petition in Change.org entitled '€œReopen Ciamis Ahmadiyah Mosque'€.