enforcing religious freedom in indonesia 131
have the right to live in Indonesia as citizens but also saw a need for
dialogue to bring Ahmadis back to the straight path.
Even though there are plenty of laws that could have been invoked to
offer Ahmadis protection from persecution (the 1945 Constitution, to
name but one example), there was only very little to be gained politically
from taking their side in a dispute that has successfully been cast in a
religious light by hardline activists. For many, the responsibility for the
conflict and violence lies squarely with the Ahmadiyah. As a result, the
law did not matter so much – either on that fateful day in early February