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| Members of Ahlulbait Indonesia, a Shia group, gathered for prayers in Central Jakarta on Tuesday evening. |
Eight people were arrested in connection with Sunday’s violent attack by Sunni Muslims on members of the local Shiite minority. Some 500 residents of Sampang attacked local Shiites with machetes and swords on Sunday, setting homes alight during a rampage that left two dead and seven injured.
“Seven of them have returned home because of a lack of witnesses and evidence,” East Java Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Hilman Thayib said on Wednesday.
Only Roisul Hukama, a key member of the local chapter of the Nadhlatul Ulama Islamic organization, was charged in connection with the violent attack. Roisul allegedly urged local Sunnis to attack Shiite men over a mosque loudspeaker before Sunday’s incident, the latest in a long series of violent confrontations between Sampang’s Sunnis — led by Roisul — and the region’s Shiites — who are led by Roisul’s brother Tajul Muluk.
Roisul was charged with committing premeditated murder, participating in a mob attack, suggesting others commit a violent crime, assisting them as they commit a crime and assault that resulted in someone’s death. He faces a maximum of 15 years in prison if convicted.
The brothers, both heads of rival Islamic boarding schools, began feuding in 2004 after Roisul lost a woman he planned to marry to a man from Tajul’s school, according to Home Affairs Minister Gamawan Fauzi. The minister called the attack a family dispute, not another incident of anti-Shiite violence.
“The Sampang incident is a purely criminal case that developed out of a family conflict and later gained momentum within the local community,” Gawaman told Antara news agency on Monday night. “It is not an anti-Shiite situation.”
Sampang’s Sunnis and Shiites have a long, and often violent, history.
Roisul reported his brother to the police for blasphemy in April after Tajul reportedly told students that the Koran was not the direct word of God, that Muslims don’t have to pray five times a day and that the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca was not obligatory. Tajul was sentenced to two years in jail after being found guilty of blasphemy and causing public anxiety.
On Dec. 29, Shiites in Sampang’s Nangkernang village were attacked by hard-line Muslim groups, who set fire to hundreds of homes and a Shia Islamic school. Five hundred Shiites were displaced from their village after the attack.
The 30 Shiites targeted in the latest attack were traveling from Nangkernang village on the island of Madura to nearby Bangil. They were visiting Sampang to celebrate Idul Fitri with their families when they were surrounded by a mob of 500 armed men, many who were reportedly followers of Roisul.
The mob attacked the traveling Shiites, killing two men — Hamama and Tohir — as they reportedly attempted to protect the group’s women and children, according to a witness.
“When the incident happened, there weren’t any police officers. The mob had swords and machetes, and they attacked all of the adult males who were trying to protect the women and children,” Umi Kulsum said.
Umi, Tajul’s wife, said she earlier reported the planned attack to local police, who failed to take action.
Mutawakkil Alallah, the chairman of Nadhlatul Ulama’s East Java chapter, defended the attackers.
“Shiites are against human rights and they despise Islam,” Mutawakkil said. “Banning them is not the solution, but we want Shiites to avoid worshiping publicly. If they do not enter the public sphere and keep [their religious activity] within their own home, they will be safer.”
Shiites represent a small portion of Indonesia’s 220 million Muslims. One million Shiites call Indonesia home, according to estimates. The rest practice a form of Sunni Islam.
Intimidation and attacks on Shiites have also been recorded in Pasuruan and Bangil, both in East Java. Other religious minorities — including Christians and members of the Ahmadiyah sect — have also been targets of recent attacks and acts of intimidation.
Shiite cleric Iklil Almilal said that after this week’s attack, several Shiites in Sampang chose to hide in the nearby forest. “They are afraid of further attacks from anti-Shiite groups,” Iklil said, according to Antara.
Antara also reported that volunteers from the Ahlulbait Indonesia — the umbrella group for Shiites — and members of the East Java Police were searching for scared Shiites on Wednesday and evacuated nine people to safety, including three children. A total of 276 people have been evacuated from Nangkernang village and all have sought shelter at the Sampang sports center in the wake of the attack.
Ahlulbait volunteer coordinator Muadz said the refugees are in dire condition with little food or drinking water.
Written by Admin
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