T

he Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) was sticking to its stance that Ahmadiyah and Shia believers were deviant from mainstream Islam but nonetheless prosecuting them for following their religious practices was unjustified, its deputy chairman said on Sunday.

MUI deputy chairman Ma'€™ruf Amin made the remarks just days after a group of people, some of whom wore Islam Defenders Front (FPI) uniforms, blocked an Ahmadiyah congregation from performing Friday prayers at their own An Nur Mosque in Tebet, South Jakarta, on Friday.

Pluralism campaigners fear that Friday'€™s attack could inspire other acts of harassment during the upcoming holy month of Ramadhan, which is slated to last from June 18 until July 16.

'€œMUI is firm that attacks are not permitted. Yes [Ahmadiyah and Shia, may perform religious services], but they should also comply with an earlier agreement they signed with the government that says they cannot spread their beliefs,'€ said Ma'€™ruf .

Ma'€™ruf referred to the joint ministerial decree (SKB) and MUI'€™s religious edict (fatwa) that declared Ahmadiyah to be a deviant sect. He added that the Shiites were also deviant but the religious body had yet to reach a national consensus declaring Shia as heretic.

The majority of Indonesian Muslims are Sunnis, and the Ahmadiyah and Shia form only very small minorities.

The MUI has gained notoriety for issuing a fatwa stating that only government-recognized Islamic organizations, such as itself, should be able to describe any people or groups kafir, or infidels, a move that was feared could encourage religious conflict against minority groups, including the Ahmadiyah and Shia, in the future.

Masdar Farid Mas'€™udi  of Indonesia'€™s largest Islamic organization Nahdlatul Ulama central board (PBNU) lambasted the MUI'€™s latest fatwa saying that no individual or institution had the right to declare whether someone was a heretic or not.'€œNU believes that plurality among religious believers or plurality inside a religion is a blessing that is justified by the Koran. In terms of religious diversity we should keep in mind the principle that your religion is for you and my religion is for me, that applies as well to diversity within a religion: my deeds are for me and your deeds are for you,'€ Masdar said.

 '€œIf you believe that what other people believe is not right then simply do not follow them. The government should increase efforts to protect minority groups in the country,'€ Masdar added.

Meanwhile, Abdul Mukti of the secretary of the country'€™s second-largest Muslim organization Muhammadiyah said that every Muslim had the right to be taught Islamic teachings but that did not mean that one had the right to claim whether someone was an infidel or not.

'€œArticle 29 of our Constitution grants religious freedom for all citizens to practice what they believe and the government should be there to protect them if their rights are violated,'€ Abdul added.

On Sunday at the location of Friday'€™s attack, dozens of people in Muslim attire and some residents of the neighborhood unit and community unit RT 02/RW 08 Bukit Duri Tanjakan in Tebet, South Jakarta, gathered around a Muslim ustad (preacher) who made a speech condemning other residents, who were thought to be Ahmadiyah members, near the Ahmadis'€™ mosque.

Children and youngsters, who comprised the majority of the audience, parroted the preacher, asking for the Ahmadis to stop practicing their faith and to return to mainstream Islam otherwise the group would forcibly evict the Ahmadiyah residents, who have been in the area since 1970s. (prm)