Nana Rukmana, Kuningan, West Java – Three people were allegedly injured and houses damaged when clashes broke out between an angry mob and members of Islamic sect Jamaah Ahmadiyah in Kuningan regency, West Java, on Thursday.
Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Djoko Suyanto slammed the incident and told people to stop resorting to violence. "The problem should be taken care of peacefully, not through violence," he told Antara news agency.
The incident drew immediate criticism, with National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) official Hesty Armiwulan saying it showed the country's poor law enforcement. "The government should find a solution to this problem instead of siding with one group and violating the rights of minorities."
The clash erupted after 500 protesters from several hard-line Islamic groups pushed their way into the sect's complex at Manis Lor village, located some 40 kilometers south of nearby Cirebon city and home to the 3,000 Ahmadiyah adherents since 1954, the largest Ahmadiyah community in the country.
The two groups threw stones and fought with wooden sticks. "Ahmadiyah should be banned. Our demand is not negotiable," said Andi Mulya, leader of the Movement against Illegal Sects and Non-Believers (GAPAS).
He said the protestors included members of the Islam Defenders Front (FPI), the Indonesia Mujahidin Council (MMI) and the Islamic Community Forum (FUI) from outside the regency,
"We're united in our demand," Andi said, adding that three members from the hard-line groups were injured in the clash.
The demand was made after public order officers sealed off eight Ahmadiyah mosques in the village on Monday and Wednesday. But residents later reopened the mosques.
Before Thursday's clash, protesters held a prayer vigil outside the village administration office, demanding the regency and the central government disband the sect.
After the prayer, the protesters marched on Manis Lor village and clashed with Ahmadiyah members, triggering panic among women and children, who rushed to take shelter inside their houses to avoid being attacked.
Authorities deployed 600 officers, including from the police Mobile Brigade (Brimob) and public order officials, to the scene to prevent an escalation.
Kuningan Police chief Comr. Taufik Asrori said his personnel would not tolerate any acts of violence. "Our priority is to prevent the clash from erupting again," he said. No one was arrested following the incident.
Security commission chief of the Jamaah Ahmadiyah Indonesia executive board, Deden Sujana, said Ahmadiyah would not bow to the bigoted demand.
He said the protesters and public order officers violated a 2008 joint ministerial decree on Ahmadiyah. "They had no right to ban or shut down the Ahmadiyah complex in Manis Lor."
Under the decree, Ahmadiyah members are banned from propagating their religion, but allowed to practice their faith and perform their daily religious duties.
The incident was not the first in Manis Lor, where a 2007 clash resulted in four injuries and damage to property. This latest attack follows on from recent ones in the West Java towns of Garut and Bogor.