Callistasia Anggun Wijaya, Jakarta – Ahmadiyah mosque in Sawangan, Depok, became the target of vandalism a day before Idul Fitri, as a group of people reportedly threw eggs and paint at the mosque prior to dawn on Saturday.
Civil Freedom Defenders Team, the lawyer team of Depok Ahmadiyah congregation, said that based on witness testimony, the incident occurred around 12.30 a.m.
The vandals, who used motorcycles, threw eggs and paint at the mosque's yard and front and back gates. "They also threw eggs at the mosque's CCTV cameras so their actions would not be recorded," Fatiatulo Lazira, a lawyer with the team, said. They also placed a banner expressing animosity toward Ahmadiyah near the mosque.
The Depok chapter of Indonesian Ahmadiyah Congregation (JAI) is set to report the incident to the police on Saturday afternoon.
Fatiatulo added that the lawyers would assist the Ahmadis in requesting the police ensure their safety during the Idul Fitri prayer to be held in the mosque's yard on Sunday morning.
The mosque has been sealed off by the Depok administration seven times, with the most recent occurring on June 4.
Previously, the mosque was sealed off on March 19, 2011; March 13, 2013; Oct. 2, 2014; Jan. 7, 2015, Jan. 14, 2015 and Feb. 23. The administration's actions occurred amid the congregations continued fight for their rights.
The Ahmadis have long been persecuted in the country, with the government issuing a joint ministerial decree banning their activities in 2008.
The decree referred to 2005 Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) fatwa declaring the teachings of Ahmadiyah heretical.