Indonesia: Scrap Proposed Religion Ban

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PUBLISHED ON April 27, 2008 AT 10:42 PM

“The police’s claims to protect their safety may ring hollow for the Ahmadis when so far the Indonesian authorities have failed to prosecute any of those who have engaged in anti-Ahmadi violence,” said Pearson, “Banning Ahmadiyah will only serve to further embolden extremists to continue to persecute members of the minority faith.”

In response to pressure from groups such as the Indonesian Council of Ulemas and Indonesian Muslim Forum, on January 15, the government tasked the Bakor Pakem with supervising Ahmadiyah activities and to report within a three-month period on whether their religion was “deviant” from Islam.

Indonesia acceded to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in February 2006. In doing so, it agreed to comply with all the provisions of that treaty including that, “No one shall be subject to coercion which would impair his freedom to have or to adopt a religion or belief of his choice” (Article 18(2)), and “persons belonging to … minorities shall not be denied the right, in community with the other members of their group, to enjoy their own culture, to profess and practice their own religion” (Article 27).

“Where there are disagreements over religious interpretation, the government should ensure that all groups are able to practice their faith in peace and without intimidation, said Pearson. “It is not the role of Governments to criminalize minority religious faiths.”

For more of Human Rights Watch’s work on Indonesia, please visit:

http://hrw.org/doc/?t=asia&c=indone

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