114 islam, politics and change
claiming to be part of Islam. The root of the problem is one of faith, she
said, adding that Ahmadis would have a pleasant life, side by side with
people of other denominations, including Islam, if only they would let
go of their claim to be part of Islam. From the government, Herlini was
expecting clarity: ‘[t]he government, especially the Prosecutor’s Office,
really needs to take a firm stand against Ahmadiyah. You want to disband
it or not? ... Don’t let it be undecided, like now. Like this, the Ahmadis
themselves are put in danger.’³⁴
Asked if she felt that Ahmadis’ human rights were being violated
by telling them to leave Islam, she said that ‘not everything should be
connected with human rights issues, especially issues related to belief and
faith’. Discussing the 2005 mui fatwa that some activists and Ahmadis
themselves have blamed for the violence against the sect, Herlini said,
‘the mui has been carrying out its tasks properly and in accordance
with prevailing legislation. In line with its task to protect Islam, the
mui has conducted an in-depth assessment of Ahmadiyah’s presence.
... Ahmadiyah’saqidah[creed] is distorted, so it should be declared
heretical.’ And therefore, Herlini said, ‘the decree against Ahmadiyah
cannot legitimately be seen as one of the triggers of the deadly violence
in Cikeusik’. Herlini also said the government should listen to the Islamic
ummah – the majority in Indonesia.³⁵
In the meeting between lawmakers and senior government officials
on 9 February 2011 lawmaker Jazuli Juwaini – from Banten – did most
of the speaking for the pks. He started by saying that he ‘deplored’ the
fact that ‘people were massacred in the name of religion’. ‘All Indonesian
citizens should be protected, whatever their beliefs, faith or religion’, he
said, criticising the chief of police by asking him how it was possible that
mass violence such as that in Cikeusik could happen. He also wanted
to know whether the attack was masterminded by someone and how
it was possible that all of a sudden such a large crowd should show up in
this relatively remote area. Addressing the Minister of Religious Affairs,
Jazuli said that Ahmadiyah’s controversial status should be clear by now,
and that ‘[w]e have to differentiate between giving people freedom of
religion and the desecration of religion’. And he added, ‘religious freedom
does not mean desecrating a religion that already exists’. He also said
it was a good thing the minister invited Ahmadiyah to a dialogue, to
tell them that if they want to use the name Islam, they should return to
‘Herlini Amran: Sebaiknya Ahmadiyah buat agama baru saja’,PolitikIndonesia,
7 February 2011, http://politikindonesia.com/index.php?k=wawancara&i=18180
(accessed 18 December 2011).
Ibid.