Ahmadiyah, a minority religious community that identifies with Islam, has existed in relative peace in Indonesia for over 80 years. Since the Indonesian Ulama Council reissued a fatwa against the group in 2005, however, Ahmadiyah has experienced increasing tension and hostility from radical and conservative Islamic groups in Indonesia. On 1 June 2008, this culminated in a violent attack on supporters of Ahmadiyah by militant Islamic groups at the National Monument (known as ‘Monas’) in Jakarta. Shortly after this incident, the Indonesian government issued Joint Decree 3/2008 as a ‘warning’ to followers of Ahmadiyah, though stopping short of an outright ban.

Recently, in February 2011, disturbing footage circulated of an incident in which at least three Ahmadi followers were killed and five injured in an attack on the Ahmadiyah community in a village in Banten. In addition to other incidents of violence, many local and provincial governments have taken legal action by passing regulations that ban Ahmadiyah in the area. This presentation will examine these bans as the latest attempts by local governments to manage religious pluralism, and maintain political power, by promoting a particular interpretation of orthodox Islam. I will compare and contrast the regulations issued against Ahmadiyah by the provincial governments of South Sumatra (2008), East Java and West Java (2011). I will analysis how government officials and religious leaders justify these regulations. Through a critical examination of these regulations, I will explore how these regulations present a significant challenge to the rights and legal position of religious minorities such as Ahmadiyah in democratic Indonesia.