We pray in fear...

: A Hard Fasting Month for Ahmadiyah in Indonesia Slug: Indonesia Ahmadiyah Ramadhan Date: 30/07/2013 Reporter: Nur Azizah IN R! It"s a di##i$ult #asting month #or the 200%000 Ahmadiyah &elie'ers in Indonesia( )ost o# them ha'e to per#orm their religious duties in #ear( he Ahmadiyah $ommunity a$ross the $ountry has &een atta$*ed &y hard line )uslim groups #or not #ollo+ing mainstream Islami$ pra$ti$es( In ,e*asi% -est .a'a% their mos/ue +as re$ently sealed &y the go'ernment( Nur Azizah spent an a#ternoon +ith the $ommunity there( 01 223year3old )u&ara*ah Nusrad is an Ahmadi( She li'es ne4t to the sealed Al )is&ah mos/ue in ,e*asi% -est .a'a( )u&ara*ah $lip 1 56emale% Indonesia7: 8!ur neigh&ours used to &e ni$e to us( ,ut a#ter the mos/ue +as sealed% they started to treat us di##erently( here"s also a +arning on a &oard outside% that all Ahmadiyah a$ti'ities are &anned(9 his mos/ue had re$ei'ed threats #rom a hard line )uslim group Islami$ De#enders 6ront( And sin$e 6e&ruary this year% it has &een lo$*ed three times &y the lo$al go'ernment( ,e*asi mayor Rahmat 0#endi says% it"s to prote$t the Ahmadis( S61 Announ$ement o# #en$ing the mos/ue +o months later% the authorities put iron sheets to stop the Ahmadis #rom entering the mos/ue( hey put a sign outside : it reads 8,e*asi go'ernment halts a$ti'ities &y Ahmadiyah $ongregations"( ;o$al Ahmadiyah leader Rahmat Rahmadid<a<a says they"'e &een treated di##erently &y their neigh&ours sin$e( Rahmat R $lip 1 5)ale% Indonesia7: 8-e usually &rea* the #ast together( -e in'ite our neigh&ors to $ome and <oin us here( -e usually #orgi'e ea$h other &e#ore the 0id al 6itr% +e ga'e out pa$*ages o# staple #oodstu##( -e +ant to share +ith others( ,ut a#ter the in$ident% +e #eel that it"s getting harder #or us to do something *ind(9

=23year3old >artinah is one o# the neigh&ours +ho no+ limit her intera$tion +ith the Ahmadis( >artinah $lip 1 56emale% Indonesia7: 8 hey used to in'ite us to &rea* the #ast together( I used to $ome% &ut not anymore( I"m a#raid something +ill happen i# I $ome( hey"re already &anned% so +e"re a &it a#raid and +ant to stay alert(9 In 200?% Indonesian go'ernment announ$ed a <oint ministerial de$ree #reezing the a$ti'ities o# Ahmadiyah #ollo+ers( >uman Rights -at$h said the de$ree +as used as a li$en$e to 'iolate their rights( And this has put them in a 'ulnera&le position((( S61 adzan It"s night prayer"s time at the mos/ue((( and up to 10 poli$emen stand in guard outside( hey let the Ahmadis use this mos/ue &ut +ith se'eral re/uests% says the head se$urity )aulana( )aulana $lip 1 5)ale% Indonesia7: 8 hey +ould as* ho+ many people +ill attend here% ho+ many motor$y$les or $ars +ill $ome% +hat"s the religious spee$h a&out% +ho +ill gi'e the spee$h((( hey as* that sort o# things and +illreport that to their &oss(9 ,ut <ust to &e se$ure% they also pla$ed their o+n men outside says lo$al Ahmadi% Rahmat Rahmadid<a<a( Rahmat R $lip 2 5)ale% Indonesia7: 86or the tarawih prayer e'ery night% +e put our men outside to guard( here are some people +ho spy on us((( hey +onder ho+ $ome the mos/ue is sealed &ut +e $an still doing a$ti'ities inside@ ,ut it"s our <o& as )uslims to *eep the mos/ue ali'e +ith prayers(9 S61 a#ter prayers 203year3old Nurmaningsih is one o# the +itnesses o# the sealing o# the mos/ue this year( Nurma and her hus&and +ere the ones +ho initiated to &uild the mos/ue( Despite the atta$*s and sealings% she"s determined to go there any+ay( Nurma $lip 1 56emale% Indonesia7: 8I don"t ha'e any pro&lem +ith that( -hether it"s lo$*ed or +hate'er% it doesn"t matter% I +ill still $ome here( It"s our duty to Aod and no men $an stop that( -e"re <ust praying and +e"'e done nothing +rong(9 he Indonesian Ahmadiyah Bongregation had #iled a la+suit against the ,e*asi mayor #or sealing their mos/ue saying that it"s against the la+( -hile the mayor is planning to petition Cresident Dudhoyono to institute a nation+ide &an on Ahmadiyah(

his #eature is produ$ed &y Nur Azizah #rom ,e*asi% -est .a'a% #or Asia Balling(