Arson attack on a (so-called) "deviant" Ahmadiyah mosque in South Jakarta

Muslim man shouts Allahu Akbar (God is great) during a demonstration against the Muslim sect Ahmadiyya in front of the presidential palace in Jakarta April 20, 2008

Moderate Indonesia - just last year there were several days of protests calling the government to outlaw the Islamic sect Ahmadiyya - an Islamic group which has denounced violent jihad (but still believe in the supremacy of Islam). In a compromise the government banned the group from spreading their religion - likely that means that it is illegal for any new members to join. An Ahmadiyya member is one of eight Muslims to ever be awarded the Nobel Prize and one of those eight went to Yasser Arafat - this compared to more than 150 being awarded to those of Jewish descent. Out of over 1 billion people less than 10 Muslims have earned the prize. Many Muslims do not consider Ahmadiyya to be Islamic.


A mosque belonging to the "deviant" Islamic sect Jamaah Ahmadiyah in Kebayoran Lama, South Jakarta, has been damaged in an arson attack. There were no injuries in the incident.

Kebayoran Lama Police chief Comr. Makmur S said that the incident occurred during dawn prayers on Tuesday.

Witnesses told police that eight Ahmadiyah members were performing the dawn prayer on the second floor of the two-story building, when two men sprayed the mosque with gasoline from a jerry can and lit the fire. The fire damaged a rug, a chair and a bicycle.

Makmur said the two men had been seen near the mosque on Monday evening.

“[Ahmadiyah] members were suspicious of the men and called the police for protection. We guarded the mosque until 10 p.m.; who would've known they'd come back at dawn,” he said as quoted by kompas.com.

Makmur said the mosque had often received threats.

The government, through a joint ministerial decree, has banned members of Jamaah Ahmadiyah Indonesia (JAI) from propagating their religious teachings, but they are allowed to maintain their faith and perform their daily religious duties. (dre)

The Jakarta Post