Messing with the Prophet can get you into hot water in Indonesia

Its not just infidels who are the target of religious fundamentals. In Lombok a religious Muslim community has been attacked by another Muslim group, because their interpretation of the religion is different. Sound familiar? These guys must have been hanging out with Christians.

Christians are past masters and trash talking each other. I’m not even religious, but the number of Christians who have personally told me their brand (Catholic, Lutheran, Mormon, Jehovah’s Witness) of the religion is the only one that tells the actual truth, is amazing.

Yesterday in Lombok a group, the Jamaah Ahmadiyah congregation, were attacked by fundamentalist members of another group. The Jamaah Ahmadiyah believe Mohammed was not the last Prophet! They believe that was Pakistani, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad. No doubt the Jamaah Ahmadiyah will be the whipping boys for nutcases in the future. So much for ‘live and let live’. True to form, religious fundamentals follow the ‘you are different, you need to change, I kill you’ mentality.

Another group that has come in for some attention in Lombok is the Wetu Telu. They have melded Islam, Hinduism and animist ancestor worship and share a temple with Hindu’s (Pura Lingsar in central Lombok). One of the things that riles other Muslims is they also have the oldest mosque in Lombok (Bayan in northern Lombok).

I rode around Lombok on my motorbike and found people reserved but friendly.