Jakarta - Thousands of Indonesian Muslims rallied outside
the presidential palace Wednesday, demanding for an immediate ban of
a minority sect that the country's top cleric has branded 'deviant.'
Around 5,000 activists from a number of Islamic organizations,
including hardliner groups the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) and
Hizbut Tahrir, also demanded the police released FPI chairman Habib
Rizieq from custody.
Waving and banners, saying: 'Disbanding Ahmadiyah is a fix price,'
and many posters with the pictures of both Rizieq and Munarman,
another radical activist who claimed responsibility in the attack
against a religion tolerance rally on June 1.
'We are demanding President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to soon issue
a decree outlawing Ahmadiyah,' shouted Abdullah Rasyid Safii, the
leader of the protest.
'Ahmadiyah is a criminal organization,' chanted another protester,
while thousands of demonstrators shouted 'Allahu Akbar!' or
'God is Great!' and 'Disband Ahmadiyah! Disband Ahmadiyah!'
After gathering outside the presidential palace, the protesters
marched to the Jakarta city police headquarters to pay respects to
jailed FPI chairman Rizieq.
On their way the demonstrators were carrying a mock casket for
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, the founder of Ahmadiyah sect who died in 1908 in
India.
Rizieq and eight FPI members were arrested for their roles in the
June 1 stick-wielding attack against a rally for religious tolerance
where dozens of people were injured.
Wednesday's protest was the latest in a series of rallies against
Ahmadiyah, which has about 200,000 followers in Indonesia, after the
government earlier this month issued a decree, ordering the followers
of the minority sect to stop spreading its belief that Mohammed was
not the last prophet.
Meanwhile, in west Java district of Cianjur, about 100 kilometres
south of Jakarta, followers of the Ahmadiyah sect demolished their
own mosque out of fear of violent attacks from hardliners, the
state-run Antara news agency reported.
The Indonesian Ulema Council, the country's highest authority on
Islam, has declared the Ahmadiyah sect heretical for believing
Mirza Ghulam Ahmad is the last prophet - instead of Mohammed, whom
mainstream Muslims worldwide believe was God's final messenger.
Indonesia is the world's most-populous Islamic nation, with nearly
88 per cent of its 225 million people being Muslims. The country has
a long history of religious tolerance.
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