Letter: Arrest of an atheist civil servant

Letter: Arrest of an atheist civil servant
Thu, 01/26/2012 10:50 AM

Thankfully, I myself am not an atheist and along with Dante Gabriel Rosetti I have often thought that the worst moment for an atheist must be when he or she is really thankful but has nobody to thank.

But the disturbing news in relation to Alexander, the 30-year-old civil servant who was arrested for blasphemy after creating a Facebook fan page titled Ateis Minang (Minang Atheist), which was “liked” by some 1,238 users, has prompted me to ask several questions.

Alexander, who acknowledges Islam as his religion on his identity card, has been studying at Pajajaran University. I presume him to be an intelligent man, but didn’t he know the awful risks (such as persecution and arrest) that he ran in this overwhelmingly Muslim country of Indonesia by openly denying Islam, becoming an atheist and thus casting doubt on the existence of The Creator?

Doesn’t our Constitution expressly affirm that Indonesia is legally a secular state and not a religious or theocratic one? If Indonesia really is a secular state and not under the hegemony of Islam, why do we have blasphemy laws? Why are Indonesians coerced into embracing one of the five religions: Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism? What if someone chooses another belief entirely? Or what is someone choose not to believe at all?

I myself believe that The Creator, who will ultimately pass judgment on us when we pass on, does not mind. He is Infinite Wisdom and Infinite Goodness, and will judge us based on the virtuous things we thought, said and did while we were on earth.

Alexander was arrested because of his writings on Facebook and his direct statements saying that he did not believe in God, which “triggered unrest among local residents”.

Is their personal belief in Allah so small and insecure then, that they regard Alexander’s statements as a direct attack that endangers the very foundations of their belief in Islam? Surely people who truly understand the magnificent contents of the Koran and really regulate their lives according to its tenets wouldn’t have such a bigoted reaction? Why fear atheism if we sincerely believe in God?

So Alexander was thrown into jail, and what happened to the members of the mob that attacked him? Were they jailed, too?

Why does Alexander face five years for expressing his personal opinions while the mob members who attacked and even killed members of the Ahmadiyah and destroyed their property, received light sentences of three to six months in jail?

What will happen to Alexander’s civil rights, which have been violated? Does he have any civil rights left?
Tami Koestomo
Bogor, West Java