Opposition to Ahmadiyah Creates Continued Political Division In Indonesia

In Jakarta, Indonesia today, 500 people joined a rally organized by the Islamic Defenders Front calling for the disbanding of the Ahmadiyah sect. According to the Jakarta Post, protesters said they would force the President to resign if he did not disband the sect that is considered heretical by other Muslims because it does not believe that Muhammad was the final prophet. (See prior related posting.) According to another Jakarta Post article today, the Indonesian Ulema Council says that the solution is to declare Ahmadiyah to be a separate non-Muslim religion. Human rights proponents disagree, saying this would violate their rights and would not guarantee they would not be persecuted.