East Java, Muslims destroy a radical mosque
Java (AsiaNews) – On September 20th last a crowd of hundreds of angry Muslims stormed and destroyed a mushala [a “domestic mosque” ndr] belonging to Lembaga Dakwa Islam Indonesia an Indonesian Islamic missionary agency believed to be radical in nature. The attack took place in Tanggul Weran village, Jember - East Java.
The episode took place immediately after special prayers for the holy month of Ramadan. Diah, a member of the missionary group says: “I could do nothing; hundreds of people rushed the house of prayer and in less than 10 minutes completely destroyed it”.
Jember Police Chief Adang Ginanjar maintians, “the domestic mosque has no legal building permit. This is why it was destroyed”. Dwi Setya Nusantara, district president, adds: “The mushala provoked the anger of the people who destroyed it. The Lembaga members never listened to the local populations requests; they didn’t want them in the area”.
In any case, the stand off between the local population and radical Islamic missionaries shows no sign of abating, On September 21, some residents in Jember put up posters announcing the destruction of another mushala, while local people barricaded themselves into their homes to avoid violent clashes.
.png)
