In the name of Allah the Gracious the Merciful
Anti-Ahmadiyya sentiments are growing in Indonesia the world's largest Muslim population country. The extremist parties such as Islamic Defender Front (FPI), Hizbut Tahrir, Indonesian Mujahidin Council and others are openly and blatantly calling for violence in tolerated Indonesia.
" 'KILL! Kill! Kill!' shouted a radical Indonesian Muslim preacher at a recent rally in the city of Banjar, West Java. The voice belonged to Sobri Lubis, secretary-general of the radical Islamic Defender Front (FPI) as he exhorted his followers to attack members of the tiny Ahmadiyah sect during the rally which was filmed"(NSTOnline reports).
"It is halal to spill the blood of Ahmadiyah (members). If any of you should kill Ahmadiyah as ordered by us, I personally, as well as the FPI, will take responsibility,” Lubis said to loud cheers and applause" (NST Online).
"No one stopped the rally which was inciting violence and hatred against the Ahmadiyah" (thepersecution.org).
"The crisis has been created by the present government to divert public from other economical and regional crisis Indonesia is facing" says Nasir Jadran of Jadran's Blog.
Indonesian government started this issue just to politicise Ahmadiyya issue that was not a national issue in Indonesia prior to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's government to decide if Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is Muslim or not.
The present government in Indonesia gets its support from right wing hardline religious parties and according to Ahmad Suaedy, executive director of the Wahid Institute, "Susilo wants to save his presidency by giving leeway to hardline groups like the FPI, Hizbut Tahrir and the Indonesian Mujahidin Council (MMI) because they are considered as potential political supporters" (NST Online).
It seems that few parties who have nusiance value in moderate secular Indonesia are bent upon throwing Indonesia into political turmoil where its existence on secular and moderate practice is threatened.
Indonesia, once known for its moderation and peaceful Islamic tradition is being hijacked by bunch of illiterate and uneducated people with tunnel vision, who perhaps account only for 2 percent of the population.
It would be nice for President Susilo and his government to stop playing with fire and do not follow in the footsteps of Pakistan's Democratic late Prime Minister Z.A. Bhutto who laid the foundation of religious extremisim by declaring Ahmadiyya Muslim Community a constitutionaly non-Muslim.
Today Pakistan is reaping the seeds planted by Democratic leader Bhutto and nourished by Islam-loving President Gen. Zia and thus in world stage Pakistan has become infamous and blamed for exporting terrorism.
The time is right for Indonesia to make another history in Muslim world and lead the way by banning extremists groups and those hardliners who teach violence, hatred and killing innocent people and has taken the contract of defaming Islam. Such leaders should be reprimanded and made an example out of it and such organizations should publicaly be prosecuted and evicted from Indonesia if Indonesia wants to live in peace and harmony.
