JAKARTA: Indonesia on Friday dismissed expressions of outrage and disbelief over the perceived light sentences handed down to extremists who killed three minority sect members in a mob frenzy.
(Read: Indonesian court lets anti-Ahmadi mob perpetrators off 'lightly')
The United States and the European Union expressed strong misgivings while local rights groups and international watchdogs issued strong condemnations and calls for action to address rising intolerance in the mainly Muslim country.
But religious affairs ministry spokesman Zubaidi said the sentences of three to six months for the men accused of leading the murderous assault on the Ahmadiyah sect members in February were the result of a fair trial.
"As an executive body, we cannot interfere in the legal system. We believe in the law enforcers. They have the right to come up with the sentences," he told AFP.
"Whether the sentences are light or harsh, how it's perceived is relative."
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, often held up by the United States and others as a champion of pluralism and democracy, made no comment on the sentences. Foreign ministry officials were unavailable to comment.
Human rights activists said prosecutors and the court in Serang, which handed down the verdicts, had been influenced by local Islamic leaders to play down the gravity of the crime.
They say religious violence against minorities is going unchecked in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority country, and criticise Yudhoyono for failing to defend the nation's pluralist, moderate traditions.
But Zubaidi said the court was independent and its decisions could not be questioned.
"I don't see that there has been any pressures from anyone. On the matter of intervention, I believe there was none," he said.
The violence against the Ahmadiyah sect members in Cikeusik, western Java, was one of the most horrific in a long line of attacks on the minority group in Indonesia in recent years.
A secretly filmed video of the Cikeusik rampage sparked international concern when it appeared online within days of the attack.
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Indonesia and Malaysia are no longer the modern dynamic open Muslim nations they are touted as. Sectarianism is brimming in these countries - and unfortunately - taalibs from these countries who studied in Pakistan are being "credited" for import of sectarianism.
@shazada Malik-Loan: So you say it is fair to break the head of anyone who has a different voice/opinion as it happened in this case?
i have only one question to all who are so called Muslims,who in the world give you the authority to issue such verdicts like who is Muslim who is not ,are these so called Muslims blind can`t read the holly Qur'an clearly says these are the boundaries of God almighty ,God alone has the power to judge who is wrong and who is rt,please stop and listen the Warner and save your self from the tornament of hell fire,you will die your children will die too none will succeed to destroy the messanger of God,the mighty ,the wise the all knowing,Allah says in holly quran allah and his messangers will succeed to over power their enemies,chek the history who before in past failed that this messanger will fail ,seed is sowed by his hand this will grow and spread all over the world and no one dare to retard it (inshaAllah)the promissed messiah has come i invite all to join his jamaat and start over by repenting the sinnes from the past.
@shazada Malik-Loan:
"Zionist/Hindu/Fundamentalist Christian alliance", eh? This isn't a creative writing class, you know. You aren't supposed to just make stuff up off the top of your head because it sounds interesting and backs up your personal bias. So, I take it you agree with what these murdering cowards did?
One thing for sure --- you won't hear a peep out of any Muslim countries -- there is an unwritten code that no matter how bad the atrocity if it's committed by a Muslim you remain quiet.
Our prophet (SAW) never encouraged any killings or attrocities against any other race, religion or colour , And what have Ahmadi's done, they say same Kalimah, Same Quran, Same Namaz, believe Propht Muhammad (SAW) as last prophet, it's just they say Mujadad's come in every century, well we believe in that don't we? www.muslim.org Just clear your minds please. Thank you JazakAllah
@loan Only a Shahzada can have such a wonderful nightmarish imagination. I wonder why Qaid e Azam did not se what Loan Sb. has seen with his closed (or blind) eyes If there is any truth in what he has said why no Muslim country has ever taken them to courts to prove and punish them I never understand why Mullas and those who blindly follow them are so scared of Ahmadis Perhapse it is that they are just like the opponants of the companions of Holy Prophet of Islam (S A W S)@shazada Malik-Loan:
its funny that all the woes of Muslim countries that you point out has nothing to do with Ahmadi Muslims but those Muslims that lead by brutality and are addicted to power and commit atrocious abuses in order to maintain that power breaking all the rules of being Muslim
murder is murder, Islam has stated that there is no compulsion in religion so what faith do you follow obviously not Islam.
second show me the punishment decreed in the holy Quran for Blasphemy ? there is none
let Allah be the judge and stop committing acts of shirk when you start to assume so much then act out of the order of Mankind
@shazada Malik-Loan: Assalamu-alaikum brother. I want to say that you are the sharpest, best and are the pride of the ummah!!
Lynching Ahmadies was a crime as determined by the Indonesian courts. The question is the sentence? Ahmadies are loyal to each country they live in, as required by Islam.
@shazada Malik-Loan: So this proves that the Hindu-Zionist-Christian alliance is stronger than the Muslim Ummah, we managed to cut you in half, Liberated South Sudan and East Timor from "Muslim" Sudan and Indonesia. My Malik, i would suggest , keep your eyes open 24 * 7 , who knows we might "split" you too :) :)
Muslim countries are incapable of emerging with anything due to the fact that they can't emerge from thier 7th century mindset.
@shazada Malik-Loan:
Pakistanis ofcourse dont have ANYTHING to do with the instability in our country. Its all those Zionist Hindus Christians running around. Thanks for opening my eyes!
Taking 1000 people from the town towards someones house/mosque then start throwing rocks and knives inside the house, if the owner or the people of the house come out and start telling you to go away you kill them with the most horrific way and then beat the dead bodies one by one untill you are fully satisfied. This might be a the most barbaric attack in some places where you will not be allowed to watch the video of this attack. But in Indonesia it will get you in jail for 3 months only. Way to go the justice system of indonesia. The cruelty is also in the judges now because i see them guilty of the same crime he was charged of because he has told the indonesians that if you kill an ahmadis you get 3-6mth in prision only. I mean theft even has tougher sentence
The so called Ahmediya are renegade spies and supporters of Western interests trying to weaken the Indonesian nation - we need to look at the division of the Sudan. The sudan was quietly disintegrated because it was the largest Muslim country in Africa, we also must not forget East Timor - wrenched asunder by the Western powers to protect and promote white Australia as the super power in Asia - along with Hindustan. The Human Rights groups dominated by the Hindu-Zionist unholy alliance are silent on Kashmir, Gaza and Bosnia. The question is why? The answer is simple - they don't want any Muslim country emerging to challenge the Zionist-Hindu-Fundamental-Christian Alliance. That is the reason why they have destablised Pakistan.