Thirty-one Muslims in the Donggala area of Central Sulawesi have become apostates and converted to the Bahá’í religion, it is said, inviting the anger of their neighbours who are sticking firm to Islam, and the displeasure of the local bureaucracy.

The head of the Religious Affairs Office in Palolo sub-district said that the Bahai faith, led by one Mulahi, a former marriage counsellor, entered Banpers village in the 1990s, and Mulahi had persuaded 31 local people to convert.

But some Muslims in the village are not taking it lying down:

The homes of the Bahai followers in Banpers are often pelted with stones.

Nor is the local government, which held a meeting between concerned Muslims and the Bahaists in September, 2007, wherein the Bahai adherents were warned to have a think about which religion they wanted to belong to, either Islam, like before, or another religion which was recognised by the government, because Bahai is not. Another meeting will be held soon, to find out whether the Bahaists have had enough thinking time.

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There is no reason why formerly Muslim converts to the Baha’i faith should face persecution, discrimination, violence or humiliation of any kind. It is a human right for people to choose their own religious path without governmental and societal interference.

In the past, we have alerted our readers that such abuse was possible to take place in Indonesia, which seems to be following the lead of Iran and Egypt in terms of Baha’i human rights abuses. It is with great regret that we hear of such stories, especially when such discrimination is taking place in the name of Islam, our religion.