Religious violence
August 1, 2011
In Indonesia 12 men have been found guilty of an attack which killed three followers of the Ahmadiyah Muslim sect in February, 2011. A court in the western Java city of Serang has sentenced the defendants to between three and six months.
The sentence has drawn international criticism, specially from the United States and European Union. Local rights groups as well as the international watchdogs have issued strong condemnations and calls for action to address rising intolerance in the Muslim-dominated country.
Supporting the light sentence, Indonesia's religious affairs ministry spokesman Zubaidi said the sentences of three to six months for the men accused of leading the murderous assault on the Ahmadiyah sect members were the result of a fair trial.
Defending his argument he told the AFP, "as an executive body we cannot interfere in the legal system. We believe in the law enforcers, they have the right to come up with the sentences."
Different beliefs
Ahmadiyah, unlike the mainstream Muslims, don't share the belief that Mohammed was the last prophet and are regarded as heretics and blasphemers by conservative Muslim countries such as Indonesia and Pakistan. The Ahmadiyah believe that the founder of their sect, Mirza Gulam Ahmad, was the final prophet instead of Mohammed.
The violence which took place in February against the Ahmadiyah sect members in Cikeusik in Western Java was one of the most horrific in a long line of attacks on the minority group in Indonesia in recent years.
International criticism
The United States, the European Union and New York-based Human Rights Watch have condemned the verdicts. The US embassy in Jakarta said in a statement: "we are disappointed by the disproportionately light sentences."
Human rights activists in Indonesia believe the prosecutors and the court in Serang, which handed down the verdicts, had been influenced by local Islamic leaders. They claim that the religious violence against the minorities is going unchecked in Indonesia. They also criticise Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono for failing to defend the nation's pluralist, moderate traditions. The President made no comment on the sentences.
New York-based Human Rights Watch fear that such a sentence will provoke further attacks on the minorities. The Ahmadiyah movement was founded in India in 1889. Today, it has an estimated 200,000 followers in Indonesia.
Author: Marina Joarder (AFP, dpa)
Editor: Sarah Berning