Sampang Shiites evicted from Madura
Ina Parlina and Wahyoe Boediwardhana, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Headlines | Fri, June 21 2013, 8:02 AM
Paper Edition | Page: 2
Keep your heads on!: A Sunni cleric tries to stop thousands of his protesting followers from breaking a police cordon around a sports stadium in Sampang, Madura, East Java, where hundreds of displaced Shia followers have been holed up for months. On Thursday, they demanded that the Shiites be expelled from Madura. (Antara/Saiful Bahri)
Members of the Sampang Shia community have been evicted from a sports complex where they had sought refuge for the past year, and have been forced to relocate to Sidoarjo in East Java.
The incident has occurred less than a month after President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono received an international award in recognition of his work in promoting pluralism and human rights.
Citing security concerns, officials from the Sampang regency administration moved to evict the Shia members and transfer them to low-cost apartments in Sidoarjo, on the main island of Java, bowing to pressure from some within the majority Sunni community who demanded the internally displaced persons (IDPs) leave the area.
Earlier on Wednesday evening, hundreds of Sunnis took over the local sports stadium and occupied it for a mass prayer, known locally as istighosah.
Johan Avie of the National Alliance for Freedom of Religion and Faith (AKBB), which offered advocacy to the minority group, blasted the government for failing to protect its citizens. "The security argument makes no sense as the forced relocation was conducted after the crowd left the stadium after the istighosah," he said on Thursday.
Faiq Assaddiqi of Surabaya's Legal Aid Institute (LBH) said the relocation may serve as a precedent for further discrimination against other Shia Muslims and minority groups in the country.
"It will set an example for others. It justifies their doing the same thing against minorities in other places," he said. "It's like, if they can do it in Sampang, why can't they do the same thing elsewhere?"
The Shia IDPs had taken refuge at the Sampang sports complex following an incident on Aug. 12, 2012, when around 200 people stormed their settlement in Nangkernang hamlet. At least two people were killed and 10 homes razed during the violent incident.
The IDPs had been struggling to survive, especially after the local administration stopped the delivery of basic supplies.
The first sign of conflict erupted on Dec. 29, 2011, when mobs set fire to a Shia boarding school in the hamlet.
Home Minister Gamawan Fauzi said that relocating the Shiites to Sidoarjo was the best option the local government had.
He said that the move was to prevent future violence.
"As a matter of fact, we have no problem if they insist on coming back to their village. But we in the government will take the blame if there is another attack," Gamawan said.
The National Police also defended the eviction, saying that they merely supported the local government's responsibility in handling the issue.
"It's in the hands of the local administration. We are only interested in matters concerning violations of the law," National Police chief Timur Pradopo said. "We will secure the local administration's policy."
Timur also applauded the action of police personnel for safeguarding the eviction process. "Thank you for ensuring that things went well and no one was injured or hurt," he said.
House of Representatives' Speaker Marzuki Alie maintained that the relocation was only a temporary measure until the security situation in their home village improved.
"It is crucially important to prevent a situation like this from worsening. Some groups seem to dislike peace breaking out in the area. The Shia community can return to their village later on, once things become better with time," he said.
Marzuki, a Democratic Party politician, added that the relocation would actually benefit the Shiites, as the houses would become their property while they would still own their plots of land in their home village.
"I have met with the East Java administration as well as members of the regional council and they have agreed to issue certificates for each of the Shiites to ensure that they never lose their land in their home village," Marzuki said.
Back in May, President Yudhoyono received the World Statesman Award from the Appeal of Conscience Foundation (ACF), a US-based interfaith coalition.
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