Keep the faith: Ahmadis perform Idul Adha prayers at their mosque in Duren Sawit, East Jakarta, on Thursday
span class="inline inline-center">
Members of an Ahmadiyah congregation in East Jakarta celebrated on Thursday a peaceful Idul Adha, the Islamic Day of Sacrifice, at the same time as the rest of the country's Muslims, by performing mass prayers at their sealed mosque in Duren Sawit, East Jakarta.
A board has stood in front of the At-Taqwa mosque since 2011, saying the building is sealed as it violates its designation.
Despite the ban, the congregation still performed Idul Adha prayers and distributed sacrificial livestock ' nine goats and a cow ' to 100 low-income residents around the mosque while trying not to attract too much attention.
'We don't slaughter them by ourselves, we entrust [the job] to some butchers at a livestock selling center due to limited space at our mosque,' Ahmadi East Jakarta branch head Aryudi Prastowo told The Jakarta Post.
Aryudi said that they had also distributed meat to residents near An-Nur Mosque in Tebet, South Jakarta, which was in dispute with people claiming to be local residents and the hard-line Islam Defenders Front (FPI) group, who oppose the congregation in their area.
Following the dispute, the Ahmadis were banned from entering the mosque in Bukit Duri, Tebet, to pray. The An-Nur Mosque has also been sealed by the South Jakarta administration, citing violations of its building permit.
Although Jakarta Governor Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama has pledged to reopen the An-Nur mosque, the Ahmadis still cannot perform prayers there, according to Aryudi.
'The Bukit Duri subdistrict administration refused our proposal for a recommendation letter due to a gubernatorial regulation requiring endorsement from at least 60 local residents, including local religious leaders,' said Aryudi, referring to Gubernatorial Regulation No. 83/2012 on permit procedures for houses of worship. 'We found difficulties in gaining that support.'
Ahmadis have often faced discrimination as their teachings differ from those of the mainstream Sunni Islam. The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) has even issued an edict declaring the Ahmadis as heretics and has repeatedly urged the government to ban the sect. The same treatment is faced by Shia Muslims, many of whom have been forced to leave their homes in some regions.
Therefore, Aryudi added, Ahmadis in East Jakarta currently performed their prayers and religious activities, like Idul Adha celebrations, at the At-Taqwa Mosque where the neighborhood was more open to difference.
Newly appointed East Jakarta Ahmadi youth assembly chief Fajar Ramadhan said that this year's Idul Adha was a bit different for him. 'At the previous mosque, I slaughtered livestock and cut up the meat in the yard. Now, at At-Taqwa Mosque, I can only chop the meat inside the mosque after covering the floor with wide plastic sheets,' said Fajar. (agn)
Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.