http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2008/06/03/editorial-our-freedoms-peril.html
Editorial: Our freedoms in peril Tue, 06/03/2008 10:24 AM | Opinion ADPARA>The attack on participants of a peaceful rally organized to defend freedom of religion at Monas Square in Jakarta on Sunday afternoon shows just how tenuous our freedoms are today. The latest threat comes not so much from those who want to take our freedoms away, as from the failure of the state to protect us in exercising our rights. The violent attack signals that not only is freedom of religion in danger of disappearing, but freedom of expression as well. The tragedy is that the state, the police in particular, have been indifferent to these attacks when it is clearly their responsibility to protect the people and their rights. We deliberately refrain from condemning the perpetrators of Sunday's violence because they are not worth our time or attention. This is a group that thrives on media coverage to make them look a lot bigger than they really are. Their violent attacks are carefully designed and choreographed publicity stunts, and the media continues to fall for it by giving them the space and public attention they seek. They are not worth a mention in this editorial, but that their violent deeds are carried out without the state even trying to prevent them cannot pass without comment. We condemn a government that for the umpteenth time failed in its job to defend people in exercising their constitutional rights, first with regard to freedom of religion, and now freedom of expression. Sunday's rally, organized by the National Alliance for the Freedom of Faith and Religion, was held to remind the government of its constitutional duty to protect the rights of religious minorities in the country. The backdrop of the rally was the spate of recent attacks on followers of the Islamic group Ahmadiyah, again largely ignored by the police, after a government panel recommended the group be banned for "heresy". Ahmadiyah is not the only one feeling the heat of late. Other religious minorities have also become targets of abuses and harassment, so much so that one is beginning to get the impression that people are now being persecuted in Indonesia for their religious beliefs. Precisely in order to counter this trend, Muslims and non-Muslims joined Sunday's rally to send a message to the government and remind it of its duty to protect religious minorities. That a government panel passed a judgment on the essence of religion, including on the right and wrong of a religious teaching, is in itself a gross violation of the Constitution. It is also a violation of the principles of Pancasila, the state ideology, whose anniversary on June 1 was deliberately chosen by the organizers of Sunday's rally. That the government has failed to defend Ahmadiyah followers from repeated violent attacks by groups claiming to represent the "real" Islam is bad enough. That the government on Sunday failed to defend the people who came out in defense of religious freedom is surely the final straw. The government is not the only one with ambiguous attitudes toward the presence and violent activities of groups professing to act in the name of Islam. Major mainstream Islamic organizations Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama have failed to outrightly condemn Sunday's violent attacks, while just about all Islamist political parties have remained silent, which raise serious questions about their commitment to religious freedom and the right of religious minorities to practice their faith. Only a few of these felt offended at the use of the name Islam by groups that openly endorse terror, violence and intimidation to achieve their goals. For years, these violent groups have continued to use the name of Islam as they go about tormenting others. The silence of mainstream organizations can be seen as their complicity in the violence, and certainly they are allowing these other groups to drag the image of Islam through the mud. Yet, many mainstream organizations were quick to condemn Ahmadiyah, which is not known for violence, saying they were offended by the group's claim to be a part of Islam. As long as major Islamic groups and Islamist parties maintain this ambivalent attitude, we cannot expect the government of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to take firm action against the perpetrators of Sunday's violence, even as the threat grows to freedom of expression and freedom of religion. Unless we see stronger government action in responding to these crimes committed against our freedoms, we can start counting the days until Indonesia becomes a failing .
