http://www.theage.com.au/world/indonesia-attacks-in-spotlight-20110208-1alkp.html
Indonesia attacks in spotlight Tom Allard, Jakarta February 9, 2011 THE killing of three followers of the Islamic sect Ahmadiyah by a mob at the weekend and assaults on two churches yesterday have renewed concerns about growing violence against religious minorities in Indonesia and the unwillingness of authorities to contain marauding gangs of Islamist thugs. Coming as Indonesia celebrates ''interfaith harmony week'', the incidents are embarrassing for Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who has faced criticism for more than a year for ignoring rising sectarian attacks, which almost always go unpunished by police. Late on Monday, Dr Yudhoyono expressed his abhorrence at the murders of the three Ahmadis, ordering a police investigation and expressing regret that authorities were unable to contain the group of more than 1000 people that attacked a house where a group of Ahmadis was staying. ''We cannot tolerate this kind of thing from happening again and again,'' Dr Yudhoyono said. The assault in the West Java province of Banten was captured on video that shows young men beating and stoning the three men to death as they lay naked and bloodied. One police officer tries vainly to stop the mob. Another policeman, in the background, watches impassively. Police had notice of the attack, telling the owner of the house that was attacked, Parman, that he was antagonising his Muslim neighbours and asking him to leave, said an Ahmadiyah spokesman, Mubarik Achmand. ''Parman told the police that they must protect him instead of asking him to move out of his birthplace,'' said Mr Mubarik. ''Parman then told his friends in Jakarta of what happened and two sedans from Jakarta arrived Sunday morning and they rested in Parman's house . The mob came a few hours later.'' Two people have been detained so far. Thirteen others continue to be questioned. Violence against Ahmadis has increased dramatically in the past few years, spiking after the Ministry of Religious Affairs issued a decree in 2008 finding it to be a deviant sect and banning it from proselytising. Last year, the conservative minister for religious affairs, Suryadharma Ali, called for the sect to be outlawed entirely, citing the country's blasphemy laws and describing such a measure as an ''act of love''. According to the Setara Institute, which monitors religious violence, there were 15 attacks on Ahmadis in 2008, 33 attacks in 2009 and 50 last year. The decree is widely seen as encouraging Islamist vigilantes who detest the Ahmadiyah belief that an Indian preacher, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, was the messiah foreshadowed in Islamic teaching. Attacks on Christian churches have also risen dramatically, with 75 last year. Yesterday, a 1500-strong mob burned and ransacked two churches in Temanggung, Central Java, destroying one of them. The militants were angry that a Christian man accused of distributing literature that blasphemed against Islam was sentenced to five years in prison and did not receive the death penalty. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Post message: [email protected] Subscribe : [email protected] Unsubscribe : [email protected] List owner : [email protected] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [email protected] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
