M

ore than a week after an attack on a Shiite community in which two people were killed in Sampang, Madura Island, in East Java, at least 270 refugees in the area are still waiting for a safety guarantee. One Shiite and one Sunni were killed, while another Shiite remains in critical condition.

The government has offered to relocate the Shiites — a move that has been rejected by Shiite representatives.

On Tuesday, the head of the interfaith harmony unit at the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), Slamet Effendi Yusuf, told The Jakarta Post that a settlement to the problem “should not disfavor any party”.

In 2006, the Ahmadiyah community was also attacked and driven out of their homes in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara. Mainstream Muslims do not recognize the Ahmadis as Muslims, and a national ministerial decision and dozens of bylaws restrict their activities. Despite the decision of the local administration to relocate the minority group two years ago, the plan was scrapped and the Ahmadis continue to live in shelters.

Unlike the Ahmadis, who have been declared “deviant” by the MUI, there is no ban against the Shia minority’s beliefs despite demands from several groups in East Java and West Java, and the non-binding ruling to that effect by MUI’s East Java chapter.

Following the Aug. 26 attack, Muslim leaders were quick to state that the Shiites were Muslims despite differences in their teachings.

Shia, the second-largest denomination in Islam, has around 200 million followers worldwide, or up to 20 percent of the world’s Muslims, mostly in Iran.

The latest Sampang incident has escalated local tensions. In December last year, the compound of the local Shiite leader, Tajul Muluk, was attacked. Ironically, he was sentenced to two years in prison for blasphemy.

Sampang Regent Noor Tjahja told the Post that as locals had deemed the followers of Tajul heretical,
“I don’t care [about] human rights as long I protect those who voted for me as their leader.”

Ichsan Malik, a psychologist involved in peace efforts during religious-related conflicts says the Sampang affair, like many others, reflects the “mentality of our religious groups ... to grab as much power as possible”. (asa)