JAKARTA (Agencies)
A mob of Indonesian Muslims attacked and burned down a mosque Monday belonging to the minority Ahmadiyya sect that has been branded as "deviant" by religious authorities, police said.
"The mosque at Parakan Salak was attacked just after midnight last night. It was burned down but no one was harmed," said a policeman in Sukabumi, West Java.
He said the mob of more than 100 people also vandalized a nearby school belonging to the Ahmadiyya group, which was declared "deviant" by religious authorities in January.
The state Antara news agency identified the attackers as members of the Jamiatul Mubalighin Communication Forum, which gathers Muslim preachers.
Various officials and Islamic leaders have already called on Muslims not to resort to violence in dealing with the Ahmadiyya.
Ahmadiyya claim several thousand members in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country. The group comprises followers of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, an Indian who claimed to be the promised Messiah and Mahdi some 100 years ago.
Ahmadis consider themselves Muslims and claim to practice the Islam that was taught and practiced by Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) and his companions.
However, they are not considered to be Muslims by Sunnis and Shiites as the group believes Prophet Mohammed was not the final Muslim messenger, contradicting a central tenet of mainstream Islam.
An Indonesian inter-departmental team which monitors religious groups earlier this month recommended the government disband the sect over their beliefs. The government has yet to make a decision on the case. |
