I need to make this call so that Muslims can solve their own problem
— Religious Affairs Minister, Muhammad Maftuh Basyuni
Words of wisdom from the Government? An acknowledgement that the Ahmadiyah debacle is an issue for Muslims - and not the Government - to decide? We should be so lucky. To the contrary, the Minister is asking non-Muslims to butt out of the Ahmadiyah debate. All we do is complicate and compound the issue.
Well, tough shit! If this Government is going to do the completely unacceptable and interfere with constitutional freedoms, then we can only pray that Muslims and non-Muslims alike will interfere. How the Government decides to move forward will have significant consequences, not only for Ahmahdiyah, but for the countless Islamic sects that can be found in Indonesia.
Somewhat ironically, in support of his argument that non-Muslims should keep quiet, the Minister cited an example of how the Government refused to interfere in a dispute between Buddhist groups regarding the celebration of Waisak. Apparently, the Government showed a higher level of intelligence (and respect for the Constitution) by refusing to rule on the issue. Um, so what’s different here? So much, but you won’t read about it in the papers.
