BANDUNG, Indonesia – Dozens of Ahmadiyah followers in Bandung, West Java, were barred from performing Idul Adha prayers and slaughtering animals during the Islamic day of sacrifice Friday (October 26th), local media reported.
Members of the vigilante group Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) raided the Ahmadis' An-Nasir mosque Thursday night, damaging it and prohibiting the Ahmadis from celebrating Idul Adha. About ten Ahmadis preparing for the holiday were inside the mosque, including several women, when the raid took place, Tempo reported.
The FPI members took three Ahmadis to a nearby police precinct and demanded that they follow a regulation imposed last year in West Java that bans Ahmadis from conducting public activities.
Metrotvnews.com reported that none of the FPI members were arrested by police for vandalizing the mosque. Instead, they were allowed to go free.
By contrast, two men convicted Tuesday of assaulting an FPI member in Central Java received prison sentences. Koes Setiawan Danang Marwardi, nicknamed Walet, was handed a 15-month sentence by the Semarang District Court, while Mardi Sugeng, known as Gembor, was sentenced to one year, according to the Jakarta Globe. The men were found guilty of kicking and beating FPI member Dwi Pamuji in an incident last May.
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