An update on the increasing persecution of the Ahmadiyya sect in Indonesia. "Islamic hard-liners in Jakarta break up tolerance rally," from the Associated Press, June 1:
JAKARTA, Indonesia: Islamic hard-liners broke up a religious tolerance rally Sunday, beating demonstrators with bamboo sticks and calling for the deaths of members of a Muslim sect they consider heretical, witnesses said.
About 200 Christians, moderate Muslims and members of Ahmadiyah — an Islamic group the government is considering banning — gathered at the National Monument in the nation's capital of Jakarta to celebrate the country's tradition of pluralism, said Gunawan Mohamad, a prominent magazine publisher who took part in the rally.
At least 12 people were injured and four of them were taken to hospitals after members of the Islamic Defenders Front rushed the square waving flags and swinging sticks, organizer Anick Tohari said.
"Repent or die," shouted men dressed in green and white Islamic outfits as they punched and kicked bleeding protesters, video footage showed.
Children and elderly women demonstrators were caught up in the clash.
"We were suddenly attacked by armed people. Some of us were hurt and a car was damaged," Mohamad said.
Ahmadiyah, considered heretical by fundamentalists, has been targeted since a government commission recommended in April that it be outlawed.
Its followers have been persecuted for decades after religious edicts, which deemed their faith deviant from traditional Islamic teachings, were issued by the leading Muslim organizations.
"Ahmadiyah has been declared as heretical, so holding a rally can be considered as a crime," said Munarman, a spokesman for the alliance of militants. Like many Indonesians, he goes by a single name. "They are asking for it. We will not stop until they are completely disbanded."
Indonesia is a secular country with a history of religious tolerance. But in recent years an extremist fringe has grown louder. The government, which relies on the support of Islamic parties in Parliament, has been accused of caving in to that support.
Many mainstream Muslims dislike the 80-year-old Ahmadiyah, which is banned in conservative Islamic countries such as Saudi Arabia, because it does not consider Muhammad to be the final prophet.
Ahmadiyah is a registered, legal organization in Indonesia.
Local police chief Col. Heru Winarko said the rally deviated from a prearranged route, making it impossible for authorities to prevent the attack.
The demonstrators crossed the National Monument area "without asking for our protection," he said. The site was later secured by hundreds of police, and further violence was apparently prevented.
"Ahmadiyah has been declared as heretical, so holding a rally can be considered as a crime," said Munarman, a spokesman for the alliance of militants. Like many Indonesians, he goes by a single name. "They are asking for it. We will not stop until they are completely disbanded."
But, but, but.....................they are your brother Muslims! I guess that if the whole world becomes the "House of Peace" there would still be violence between the "true" Muslim and the "not so Muslim". Very confusing. Can we get John Espostio or Karen Armstrong or even Omer Subhani to comment?
Hmmm...
Am I the only one to notice how Ahmadiyah has been declared as heretical but Islamic Terrorism has not.
That is because terrorism is an intergral part of Islam.
CrazyFool - yeah, the heresy of the Admadiyah is centered around their denial of the jihad. You can see what happens to reformers in Islam.
"_____________ has been declared as heretical, so his/its/their existence is a crime against Islam," said a spokesman for the militants. "They bring this upon themselves with their intransigence."
=== === === === ===
Fill in the blank with whoever is the current target of Islam's outrage-du-jour.
"They are asking for it" -- the Islamic justification for whatever atrocity Muslims anywhere intend to commit. "They" are not real humans. "They" are the demonized "other", whose sole function under Islam is to be scapegoats -- drive the evil "other" from society, and purity/peace/harmony must necessarily follow.
It hasn't worked yet, of course.
It never will, of course.
But they sure keep trying.
One of the hallmarks of the fascist movement of the last century was to use violent thugs to break up opposition rallies and demonstrations. The police often looked the other way when demonstrators were assaulted.
The term Islamofascism is appropriate for this sort of thuggery.
Islamic Defender's Front (PFI)are allowed to do whatever they want here in Indonesia because they are backed by the police, the military and a lot of high profile politicians. The police always arrive after the fact when PFI go out and terrorize people. It will happen lots during the upcoming Ramadingdong month in September, as Jakarta businesses will be terrorized by these thugs again.
This attack on the demonstrators is not surprising and the response of the police is the same bullshit excuse given after every FPI attack. FPI attack the defenseless or weak and do it with the blessing of many of Indonesia's political elite. The NU lead by former president Gus Dur is also heretical (combining animism and spiritualism with Islam) but you don't see the FPI attacking the NU. Maybe it's because the NU has over 40 million members and an armed paramilitary wing that would crush the FPI.
Ahmediyas were only persecuted in Pakistan. They live as second class citizens there and many of them try to reach India (via marriage or otherwise) while some seem to have gone abroad to countries like Indonesia. Now that they are facing violence in Indonesia it is certain that Pakistan is behind it. The Pakis were the only ones so far who went for this sect's followers. Nobody even knew of their existence outside India or Pakistan (barring South Asian quarters in London etc etc)
besides being a rather clever bunch, these are persistent in striving for modernity in the mosque. there shortcoming, for which they'll supposedly burn for in Hellfire, is to enter and orient towards the present.
Worth noting, this is the one year anniversary of the death of Catholic Father Ragheed & Companions, of Iraq.
During the season of Iraqi discontent, it is telling that the folks they terrorize the most are the Christians that make up less than 3% of the population.
With tolerence like that, eh?
Islam is very tolerant...you can be Islam, Muslim, Moslem...or dead, your choice. Sounds fair...right???