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Police provide escort for Shiites after Asyura celebration in Bandung
(Tempo/Prima Mulia)Thousands of Shiites who attended the Asyura Day ceremony in Sidolig Stadium in Bandung, West Java, on Friday night, left the venue with a police escort due to a rally by hundreds of people from the West Java Ahlus Sunnah Defender (PAS) group
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(Tempo/Prima Mulia) (Tempo/Prima Mulia)
(Tempo/Prima Mulia)
Thousands of Shiites who attended the Asyura Day ceremony in Sidolig Stadium in Bandung, West Java, on Friday night, left the venue with a police escort due to a rally by hundreds of people from the West Java Ahlus Sunnah Defender (PAS) group.
The event started around 7 p.m. with no disturbance with police already guarding the venue. At about 8.30 p.m. around 120 people arrived on motorcycles and spread a banner with the text 'Shia is a threat to the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia' in front of the stadium.
The police then formed a line between the protesters and the venue. At the same time, Shiites gradually started to disband under police protection. The police also closed the road of Jl. Ahmad Yani leading to Kosambi.
One of the protesters, who refused to mention his name, said that they had sent a warning letter to the police as well as Bandung City government to stop the ceremony from happening.
Asyura Day is commemorated on the 10th day of Muharram to mark the slaying of Prophet Muhammad's grandson Hussein bin Ali bin Abi Thalib by his political opponents due to the issue of the succession in the Islamic world.
Shiites claimed only the descendants of Muhammad through Ali could be true Islamic leaders, a position denied by the Sunnis, who form the majority of Indonesian Muslims.
According to Bandung City Police chief Kombes Angesta Romano Yoyol, the police was obliged to secure the ceremony and deployed 1,000 personnel that night.
Separately, the Indonesia Ahlul Bait Congregation Society (Ijabi), which holds the national Asyura Day ceremony, stated that the event proceeded smoothly in Bandung as well as in other locations.
However, Ijabi head office chairman Syamsuddin Baharuddin criticized Bogor Mayor Bima Arya for issuing a circular letter banning the Asyura Day ceremony in Bogor.
'That was stupid. Regional governments should protect the constitution but instead, [he] prohibited people to express their beliefs,' said Syamsuddin.
He added that Ijabi had not yet made a decision whether to take any legal action regarding the circular letter. (kes)(+)
