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Unseal our mosque for Idul Fitri: Ahmadiyah followers
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Against religious freedom: Public Order Agency personnel seal the Al-Hidayah mosque of an Ahmadiyah religious sect in Sawangan, Depok, West Java, on June 4.
(Antara/Indrianto Eko Suwarso)
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ollowers of Ahmadiyah in Depok, West Java, say they are hoping the local administration will unseal their mosque so that they can celebrate Idul Fitri there on Sunday.
The Depok administration sealed the Al-Hidayah Mosque earlier this month, forcing around 500 Ahmadiyah followers to pray in the mosque’s backyard ever since.
“If the city administration does not unseal the mosque, then it will be our second time celebrating Idul Fitri in such a condition, as it was also sealed in 2015,” Al-Hidayah mosque preacher Farid Mahmud Ahmad told The Jakarta Post on Friday.
Ahmadiyah followers have long been persecuted in the country, with the government issuing a joint ministerial decree banning their activities in 2008. The decree was issued based on a 2005 Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) fatwa declaring the teachings of Ahmadiyah heretical.
The West Java administration and the Depok administration have also issued their own regulations banning Ahmadiyah activities, saying they have the obligation to prevent religious conflicts.
Farid said his team had made some preparations to welcome the celebration, including ordering his members to clean up and decorate the mosque’s backyard as they might perform the Eid prayer there. (yon/ary)
