Blame the victim

A few months ago, I mentioned an appalling incident in which an Indonesian mob attacked and killed members of a religious minority sect, the Ahmadis. Sadly, the prosecution of the mob leaders has only deepened concern about Indonesia's justice system. While prosecutors managed to obtain three-sixth month sentences for several of the mob, they also prosecuted one of the Ahmadi victims for resisting the mob and refusing police orders orders to leave the scene of the incident. In fact, according to The Jakarta Post, that Ahmadi received a six month sentence, longer than several of the perpetrators of the violence. Of course, local and international human rights groups have decried the sentence, but we'll have to see how the Indonesian government responds. One thing is clear - while the Ahmadiyah is a small sect, how Indonesia treats it has become a huge test of Indonesia's liberal democratic principles.