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Officials halt reconstruction of Ahmadiyah mosque
Authorities in Sukabumi, West Java, have reportedly halted the reconstruction of a mosque belonging to an Ahmadiyah group in the regency, highlighting continued repression against the minority Muslim group since 2008 when the mosque was set ablaze by mobs
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span>Authorities in Sukabumi, West Java, have reportedly halted the reconstruction of a mosque belonging to an Ahmadiyah group in the regency, highlighting continued repression against the minority Muslim group since 2008 when the mosque was set ablaze by mobs.
The authorities are personnel from the Parakansalak Police precinct and officials from the Sukabumi regency administration.
Asep Saepudin, the leader of Jemaah Ahmadiyah in Parakansalak district, reported the intimidation to the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) on Monday seeking justice.
Asep said the police precinct's head Adj. Comr. Slamet Irianto visited the mosque on Feb. 19 and told the construction workers who had commenced work the previous day to stop. The police chief said that a mob would come to the site and ransack the building if the builders continued.
The following day, officials from the Parakansalak Consultative Leadership Forum (Muspika) came to the site and covered mosque's doors with plywood.
Higher ranking officials from the Sukabumi regency administration visited the mosque on Feb. 21 to warn the congregation that "a more powerful attack is about to unfold if the mosque's renovation continues".
In April 2008, a group of hardliners set the mosque ablaze less than two weeks after a governmental Coordinating Board for Monitoring Mystical Beliefs in Society recommended Jamaah Ahmadiyah be outlawed.
The board, consisting of representatives of the Attorney General's Office and the National Police, stated that the group had "deviated from Islamic principles" in their belief that Muhammad was not the last prophet, contradicting mainstream Islamic tenets.
Ahmadiyah adherents believe Punjabi Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, who founded the group in 1889, is a prophet and also the messiah.
The mosque in Parakansalak was established in 1975 and was registered with the Religious Affairs Ministry under number M.32.02.15.01.002. Parakansalak's Jemaah Ahmadiyah community had worshipped without resistance for 33 years there until the arson occurred.
The mosque's congregation was subsequently forced to pray at a nearby madrassa, built by the Ahmadiyah community in 1985, following the incident.
"Now that the school building is getting older, we’re thinking about repairing the mosque so that we can perform prayers comfortably. But we just can't due to the intimidation," Asep said.
Followers of Ahmadiyah have long been persecuted in the country, with the government issuing a joint ministerial decree banning their activities in 2008. The decree referred to a 2005 Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) fatwa, declaring the teachings of Ahmadiyah heretical.
Komnas HAM commissioner Beka Ulung Hapsara, who had received the report, said he would discuss the incident with the Sukabumi regent as well as the Parakansalak Police precinct head.
"The state has failed to protect the constitutional rights of its citizens to freely perform religious activities according to their respective beliefs," he said.
Parakansalak Police precinct head Slamet said he visited the site after receiving reports that people intended to attack the mosque if the repairs continued. "It's better to halt the process than witness the attack happen," he said, adding that he was afraid the precinct, with only 14 personnel, could not contain the mob.
"The anticipation measure was taken to protect the followers of Ahmadiyah."
