The rally took place at the Hotel Indonesia (HI) Roundabout, one of Central Jakarta`s crowded traffic hubs. As a result, the flows of vehicles were disrupted a little, a police officer said.
However, there was no road closure during the rally, Tarmin of the Jakarta Metropolitan Police`s Traffic Management Center said.
The FUI and FPI crowds strongly demanded the dissolution of the religious sect whose followers believe that the creed`s founder, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, is a prophet after Muhammad (peace be upon him).
During their demonstration, the FUI and FPI members displayed a banner with a message urging the Indonesian government to ban the Ahmadiyah religious sect because it was blaspheming Islam.
Meanwhile, Jakarta Metropolitan Police`s Spokesman Senior Commissioner Sujarno said the rally was peaceful and joined by about 800 people.
"None of the demonstrators was arrested because their rally proceeded peacefully," he said.
However, in anticipating any unwanted eventuality, 1,500 members of the Jakarta Metropolitan Police headquarters were deployed to watch over the rally, he said.
As part of their rally`s agenda, some of the demonstrators met with the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) people for talks about the issues of sectarian violence and religious blasphemy.
A series of attacks on Ahmadiyah religious sect followers and their properties have occurred in some parts of Indonesia over the past two years.
The latest incident happened in Umbulan village Cikeusik subdistrict, Pandeglang district, Banten province, on February 6, killing three people.
Following this incident, the chief of Banten`s regional police command, Brigadier General Agus Kusnadi, was replaced.
Besides Agus, the chief of the Pandeglang district police and the director of the Banten l police`s intelligence division were also replaced.
In response to the latest incident, Former Vice President Jusuf Kalla said the cases of sectarian violence could be handled if firm law enforcement was implemented to the doers.
"Don`t let the doers be untouched by law. If it is so, there will be feeling that if we kill or destroy properties in a mass, we think that laws cannot touch," he said. (*)
Editor: Kunto Wibisono
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
