No Idul Adha celebration for Ahmadis in Bandung

The Jakarta Post, Bandung Fri, October 26 2012,


Dozens of Ahmadiyah followers in Bandung, West Java, were barred from performing Idul Adha prayer and slaughtering animals during the Islamic day of sacrifice on Friday.

Members of vigilante group Islam Defenders Front (FPI) raided Ahmadis’ An-Nasir mosque on Thursday night, damaging the mosque and prohibiting the Ahmadis from celebrating Idul Adha. There were about 10 Ahmadis preparing for Idul Adha inside the mosque, including several women, when the raid took place, tempo.co reported.

The FPI members took three Ahmadis to the Astana Anyar Police precinct, which was located 500 meters from the mosque and demand that they followed the West Java’s gubernatorial regulation that bans Ahmadis from conducting public activities.

Police released the Ahmadis but guarded the mosque on Friday morning. Police also called off the Idul Adha prayer. The Ahmadis handed over four cows and three goats, which they planned to be slaughtered in their own mosque, to other mosques.

Last year, West Java Governor Ahmad Heryawan issued The Gubernatorial Regulation No. 12 which bans Ahmadis from conducting any public activity.

Ahmad claimed that the regulation had reduced attacks against Ahmadis. Therefore, evaluation toward the regulation was not necessary, he added.

“Before I issued the regulation, intimidation against Ahmadis happened almost every month. After the establishment of regulation, there was not that many, maybe just twice a year” he said as quoted by Antara news wire. “Even if there were some threats, they were minor cases.”

Ahmad, however, said that physical violations against Ahmadis or their properties were not allowed under the law. “The law forbids physical attacks against anyone,” he said.

“If there is physical assault uncovered in the last incident, I will let the police handle it,” he said.

Spread the word: Tolerance and freedom of Believe/religion as it is stated in the Pancasila..... Alas....(Niet alas = hutan, maar Alas = helaas.)

Sometimes people may learn their acts/deeds of/in life while watching nature (fauna), f.i. What do Bonobo's when having disputes or quarrels.... Right: they solve their problems in a nice friendly loving and "me happy" way

The Jakarta Post, Bandung, Sun October 28 2012,


Bandung Police have arrested M. Asep Abdurahman, aka Utep, an Islam Defenders Front (FPI) member, and named him a suspect of Thursday night’s attack on the Ahmadiyah An-Nasir mosque.

“We arrested Utep and named him a suspect on Saturday night,” said Bandung Police chief detective Adj. Sr. Comr. Widjonarko on Sunday.

Widjonarko said the police had questioned five witnesses and seized evidence at the scene before naming Utep a suspect. “The number of suspects will likely increase as we are still collecting more evidence. For now, Utep is the sole suspect,” he said.

According to police, Utep could be charged under Article 170 of the Criminal Code on assault, as well as Article 406 on the destruction of private property and Article 335 on disorderly conduct.

On Thursday, one night before Idul Adha (Islamic Day of Sacrifice), members of vigilante group FPI raided An-Nasir mosque, damaging the place of worship and prohibiting Ahmadis from celebrating Idul Adha.

The FPI members took three Ahmadis to the Astana Anyar Police precinct and tried to force them to sign an agreement not to hold Idul Adha prayers or slaughter sacrificial animals on Friday. The Ahmadis’ rejection of the agreement reportedly enraged Utep.

“I was angry. I went to the mosque and smashed its windows. My rage was triggered by the Ahmadis’ reaction,” said Utep. He added that breaking the mosque’s windows was a spontaneous act.

FPI members insisted that the Ahmadis uphold Gubernatorial Regulation No. 12/mosque, which bans Ahmadis from conducting public activities.

The police released the three Ahmadis on Friday morning and guarded the mosque, which is used by hundreds of Ahmadis. The police also canceled Idul Adha prayers and the slaughter of sacrificial animals at the mosque.