Appeal to Indonesia about Ahmadi Muslims

Sunday, September 05, 2010
APPEAL TO INDONESIA ABOUT AHMADI MUSLIMS

TO Minister Suryadharma Ali,

May you be drenched in peace and act and talk peace,
As Salaam u Aliakum;

As President of the World Muslim Congress, a think tank of Muslims from across the world, I appeal to you to consider the following and rescind your reccomendation to the Indonesian Parliament:

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) predicted the division among us; he guided us to know each other and asked us to compete in doing good deeds. Between Ahmadi, Bohra, Ismaili, Shia, Sufi, Sunni, Wahhabi and other traditions we differ and solemnly believe that only Allah is the master of the Day of Judgment when it comes to the matters of faith. We differ within our families, parties and Masajid and Allah has intentionally created us to be different, each one with his own unique thumb print, DNA etc. It is time we honor Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) prophecy of division and respect Allah’s words in 49:13

Democracies function by respecting the rights of every citizen; freedom to worship, speech and the pursuit of happiness. Your actions do not discourage other nations from being oppressive or pushing around Minorities to obey and surrender to authorities rather than the Almighty. Power should make us humble and khaksaars and not dictators.

Treating Ahamdi Muslims any thing less than the rightful status of full citizenship undermines the basic Islamic tenets of treating all humans with dignity.

Please re-consider your decision and I urge you to visit an Ahmadi Mosque and pray with them, I did, three times in Ramadan. Alhamdu Lillah, my niyya was pure and nothing but seeing that we Muslims get to know each other. Please learn about them before you become a judge of their faith.

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) envisioned a world where every man, woman and child, regardless of race and ethnicity, would feel safe. The guardianship of the society is entrusted to you and we urge you to keep law and order and faithfully guard the safety of all citizens.

No society can enjoy and maintain peace unless all its constituents are safe. No one should attain advantage at the expense of the safety and wellbeing of others. Such benefits are temporary and deleterious to lasting peace. We believe what is good for Muslim Indonesians is equally good for fellow Indonesians of all faiths.

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) respected the Christians, Jews and others to the point of inviting them to dialogue; he was one of the first humans to initiate the interfaith dialogue. He taught us that respecting other faiths is part of our heritage, our right conduct. Indeed, he earned the trust of his community by always remaining truthful, honest and trustworthy; he was called Amin by the people around him and as Muslims we strive to earn the title of Amin in the community of nations.

We hope you will set a new benchmark in civility within your society and pave the way for other Muslim nations to follow your lead; to be respectful of all your citizenry regardless of their faith. We expect nothing less than goodness and leadership role from Indonesia, lead us in the path of the Prophet and honor Allah’s words.

Please note; the word Ahmedi, Ahmadi, Ahmadiyya, Qadiani all mean Ahmadiyya Muslim. Ahmadiyya is the preferred usage, just as Muslim is preferred over Moslem.

Mike Ghouse
World Muslim Congress
2665 Villa Creek Dr, Suite 206
Dallas, TX 75234
(214) 325-1916
MikeGhouse@aol.com

Indonesia: Religious Affairs minister wants Ahmadis banned

Minister Suryadharma Ali wants Muslim sect dissolved and outlawed because it does not view Muhammad as the final prophet. Civil society groups, Church and NGOs protest the move.

http://www.speroforum.com/a/39101/Indonesian

Jakarta – The fight over the legal status of the Ahmadiyah community continues in Indonesia. Deemed “heretical” by mainstream Muslims, it has come under attack from the government. Yesterday Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali signed a decree, calling for the banning of the sect, a small minority present in most Muslim nations. In his view, “Ahmadis must be banned because they break our laws, do not recognise Muhammad as the last prophet, and do not believe the Holy Qur‘an to be the last Holy Book of Islam.”

Ahmadis are Muslims who venerate Muhammad as well as Mirza Ghulam Ahmad as prophets. For this reason, they are seen as heretics and attacked by Muslim extremists.

Last year, extremists attacked them 33 times. In the first six months of this year, only four attacks were recorded. However, anti-Ahmadi violence has escalated in Pakistan.

Home Minister and the Attorney General also signed the ministerial decree, which was presented to a joint session of parliament, causing uproar among NGOs and various civil society groups.

In his address before lawmakers, the Religious Affairs minister argued that Ahmadis are against the “mainstream of Islam.” If this “is considered as religious freedom, then I call it an excessive freedom,” he said.

For Fr Andang Listya Binawan, a Jesuit, the decree is neither useful nor pressing. “The government often confuses two rights, the right to worship and the right to form an organisation. If local Ahmadis do not bother anyone as a sect or organisation, there is no need to ban them.”
Ali’s statement also sparked a sharp reaction from Nurcholis Hidayat, president of the Indonesian Legal Aid society, who said that he, the minister, “should protect religions,” instead of “triggering new interfaith clashes.”

An appeal to Indonesian Muslims

An appeal to Indonesian Muslims
Mike Ghouse

Friday, December 18, 2009 will be noted as a sad day in the history of Indonesia. On this day, a group of people on their way out from attending an Islamic New Year parade attacked the Santo Albertus Church under construction in Bekasi.

http://worldmuslimcongress.blogspot.com/2009/12/appeal-to-indonesian-muslims.html

Fortunately, no one was injured in the incident, but the church was damaged severely, just a week before Christmas.

We the Muslims from around the world, appeal to the Indonesian Muslims, who follow the word of God and example of the Prophet to help those few who are momentarily lost, and bring them back on the path of justice and fairness that the Prophet taught us.

The Quraan asserts in 49:13, “The noblest of you in sight of Allah, is the best in conduct. Allah Knows and is Aware.” Had God willed, he would have made all of us the same.

We look up to you, the Indonesian Muslims for following Islam as taught by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). You are proud owners of the Panchasila document which reaffirms the freedom of all faiths. Indeed, it is this model of freedom that builds trust, respect and goodwill among all of God’s creations.

Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) life was an example for us to follow, he did not return violence with violence, instead he prayed for those who pelted stones and bloodied him, asking God to give them goodwill.

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) respected the Christians, Jews and others to the point of inviting them to dialogue; he was one of the first humans to initiate the interfaith dialogue. Historians note that Byzantine Christians led by their bishop, had come to discuss a number of issues with the Prophet, and when the time for their prayer came up, he offered them to "conduct their service in his mosque”. He taught us that respecting other faiths is part of our conduct. Indeed, he earned the trust of his community by being truthful, honest and trustworthy; he was called Amin by the people around him.

The Prophet set another example of mitigating conflicts and nurturing goodwill when the Aswad stone fell off the wall of Kaaba. Each tribe was laying claims of their right to set the fallen Aswad Stone back in the wall, Muhammad (pbuh) was approached, he could have done it himself, but being the ultimate peace maker he was, he got the parties together, mitigated their conflict and had them all share in lifting the stone back into its place, thus nurturing goodwill.

We appeal to you to earn the respect of the society and be good and just to one and all and re-build the Church for the Christians that was desecrated. Please set an example of the Indonesian Muslim conduct for others to follow. To be a Muslim is to mitigate conflicts and nurture goodwill and strive to build societies of Justice and peace for every human being.

Update: 12/31/09 - The appeal is published in Jakarta Post
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/12/31/letters-an-appeal-indonesian-muslims.html

Mike Ghouse is a Muslim from Dallas, Texas who admires the Indonesian Model of Islam. He is a speaker, thinker and a writer and regularly offers pluralistic perspectives to the media. He can be reached at MikeGhouse@aol.com and the websites and the blogs are listed at http://www.mikeghouse.net/

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