Indra Budiari, Jakarta – A week after being blocked from their Friday prayers in the An Nur Mosque in Bukit Duri Tanjakan, Tebet, South Jakarta, around 50 members of the Bukit Duri Ahmadi congregation held peaceful Friday prayers inside their mosque with a number of police officers standing guard to secure the area.

Located less than 100 meters from another mosque, the Ahmadi members finished their Friday prayers around 12:45 p.m. without any disturbance or threat, despite an incident that took place on June 12 when dozens of people prevented them from performing their prayers.

Aryudi Prastowo, head of the Bukit Duri branch of the Ahmadis, said Friday he had asked for assistance from the Tebet Police and the South Jakarta Police to protect them from the possibility of an escalated incident.

"I am glad that we could carry out today's prayers peacefully. We believe that the previous incident was provoked by someone who feels threatened by our religious activity," he said in a house that was also used as a mosque by the congregation members.

Laik, 17, who had just finished his prayers at the An Nur Mosque with his father, said the previous incident forced him and his father to be more careful when they came to Bukit Duri. "We have been praying here for years; we don't want to make any incident with the locals," he said.

The Ahmadis' Friday prayers, however, were marred by preaching from the other mosque that was located less than 100 meters away, in which the sermon called on the local residents not to join the Ahmadis or open their website.

"I know that the Ahmadis can write beautiful words on their website to attract people to join them. I urge you not to open the website if you don't want to become their followers," said the preacher, delivering his speech loudly through speakers.

Aryudi said that prior to last week's incident, the Bukit Duri Ahmadis had never been involved in any conflict with other local residents since it was established. "I hope [preacher] Syakir could let us perform our prayers as we have no intention to disrupt theirs."

Last week, dozens of people, led by local religious figure Ustadz Ahmad Syakir, blocked a group of Ahmadis from performing their Friday prayers at their An Nur Mosque.

The Ahmadis were forced to fulfill their religious obligations on the street in front of the mosque under the threatening gaze of the group members. Only after making sure that the Ahmadis would not use the mosque again, did the protesters leave the premises to go pray in a nearby mosque.

Speaking to the The Jakarta Post, Syakir said on Friday the incident on June 12 was caused by local residents who were concerned about the Ahmadis' religious activities in their area. He emphasized that prior to the incident, he and several local figures politely asked the Ahmadis to join them instead of keeping their distance.

"I don't have any problem if they want to live here, but I cannot let them hold their religious activities and call themselves Muslim. By claiming themselves as Muslim, they have committed blasphemy," Syakir said.

According to Syakir, the incident last week was not the first altercation that happened between the two congregations.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/06/20/police-guard-ahmadi-friday-prayer-jakarta.html