It’s a difficult fasting month for the 200,000 Ahmadiyah believers in Indonesia.

Most of them have to perform their religious duties in fear.

The Ahmadiyah community across the country has been attacked by hard line Muslim groups for not following mainstream Islamic practices.

In Bekasi, West Java, their mosque was recently sealed by the government.

26-year-old Mubarakah Nusrad is an Ahmadi. She lives next to the sealed Al Misbah mosque in Bekasi, West Java.

“Our neighbours used to be nice to us. But after the mosque was sealed, they started to treat us differently. There’s also a warning on a board outside, that all Ahmadiyah activities are banned.”

This mosque had received threats from a hard line Muslim group Islamic Defenders Front.

And since February this year, it has been locked three times by the local government.

Bekasi mayor Rahmat Efendi says, it’s to protect the Ahmadis.

Two months later, the authorities put iron sheets to stop the Ahmadis from entering the mosque.

They put a sign outside – it reads “Bekasi government halts activities by Ahmadiyah congregations’.

Local Ahmadiyah leader Rahmat Rahmadidjaja says they’ve been treated differently by their neighbours since.

“We usually break the fast together. We invite our neighbors to come and join us here. We usually forgive each other before the Eid al Fitr, we gave out packages of staple foodstuff. We want to share with others. But after the incident, we feel that it’s getting harder for us to do something kind.”

42-year-old Hartinah is one of the neighbours who now limit her interaction with the Ahmadis.

“They used to invite us to break the fast together. I used to come, but not anymore. I’m afraid something will happen if I come. They’re already banned, so we’re a bit afraid and want to stay alert.”

In 2008, Indonesian government announced a joint ministerial decree freezing the activities of Ahmadiyah followers.

Human Rights Watch said the decree was used as a licence to violate their rights. And this has put them in a vulnerable position...

It’s night prayer’s time at the mosque... and up to 10 policemen stand in guard outside.

They let the Ahmadis use this mosque but with several requests, says the head security Maulana.

“They would ask how many people will attend here, how many motorcycles or cars will come, what’s the religious speech about, who will give the speech... They ask that sort of things and willreport that to their boss.”

But just to be secure, they also placed their own men outside says local Ahmadi, Rahmat Rahmadidjaja.

“For the tarawih prayer every night, we put our men outside to guard. There are some people who spy on us... They wonder how come the mosque is sealed but we can still doing activities inside? But it’s our job as Muslims to keep the mosque alive with prayers.”

60-year-old Nurmaningsih is one of the witnesses of the sealing of the mosque this year.

Nurma and her husband were the ones who initiated to build the mosque.

Despite the attacks and sealings, she’s determined to go there anyway.

“I don’t have any problem with that. Whether it’s locked or whatever, it doesn’t matter, I will still come here. It’s our duty to God and no men can stop that. We’re just praying and we’ve done nothing wrong.”

The Indonesian Ahmadiyah Congregation had filed a lawsuit against the Bekasi mayor for sealing their mosque saying that it’s against the law.

While the mayor is planning to petition President Yudhoyono to institute a nationwide ban on Ahmadiyah.