Once known as a nation of tolerance, Indonesia has been growing more dangerous for religious minorities – something that Ahmadiyah Muslims know all too well.
“Sometimes [my wife] hears people saying, ‘If that mosque was not watched by the police, I would burn it.’” The Ahmadi spokesman told us of what his community has endured since their mosque, in the city of Depok, was forcibly closed, for the seventh time since 2011.
This was the last Ahmadi mosque in the district, leaving the 400 Muslims who used to gather there with nowhere to worship. The spokesman told us when we visited in 2014, “The local government…supports the closure of the mosque.” We visited again recently – and the problem has only got worse.
Ahmadi Muslims are seen as heretics by the majority Sunni Muslim population. They face discrimination and harassment at every turn. During our 2014 visit we spoke to an Ahmadi missionary: “I have witnessed many forms of discrimination. I was not allowed to bury my father – I tried many graveyards, but people rejected me. My hope is to become just an ordinary person, to live normally.”
Indonesia used to be seen as an example of religious tolerance due to ‘Pancasila’, a national philosophy that enshrines interfaith harmony. But as these stories show, the reality today is very different.
Religious freedom for all
We believe that everyone has a right to worship freely and without fear, no matter what religion they belong to. We’re committed to standing up for Ahmadiyah Muslims in Indonesia and everyone who faces harassment because of their faith – no matter what that faith may be!
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