Ahmadiyah Community Victims of Religious Intolerance

Tasikmalaya, W Java (Antara) - Another incident of religious adherents conflict has worsened the reputation of West Java in religious tolerance. On Sunday, police had to face a stone throwing group of people damaging an Ahmadiyah mosque and houses in the predominantly Ahmadiyah village of Kutawaringin in Tasikmalaya district, Tasikmalaya police chief Adj. Sr. Comr Widjanarko said via telephone. "The mobs came to the village to disperse Ahmadiyah followers performing their religious service. We tried to prevent them from coming closer to the place to prevent communal conflict," Widjanarko disclosed. Widjanarko said Ahmadiyah people, however, already went home after ending their religious duty in the mosque when the mobs arrived at that place. Ahmadiyah, an Islamic sect, has been declared a heresy and has been banned from performing religious activities in the country. Widjanarko said no one was hurt in the incident although glass windows of the mosque and houses were broken. Ahmadiyah houses of worship have been closed and damaged in a number of areas in West Java. (*)