E/CN.4/2006/5/Add.1 Page 42 the Jammah Ahmadiyyah in Indonesia. The Special Rapporteur was particularly concerned that this attack was the latest in a series of attacks against the Ahmadiyyah community. According t o the information received, previous attacks had not been effectively investigated by the police or other state authorities and no efforts had been made to prevent further attacks from being carried out. Response from the Government dated 9 January 2006 163. The Government expressed its concern about the incident and condemned the attack. It stated that despite the fact that Ahmadiyyah is widely regarded by mainstream Muslims in Indonesia and throughout the world, the belief does not conform to accepted Islamic tenets. However, there is no excuse for the use of violence against its members. The Government confirmed that the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) had renewed its fatwa of 1984 pronouncing the Ahmadiyyah heretical. 164. It informed that the fatwa had been the object of much debate in Indonesia, indicating that the fatwa has both strong supporters and strong critics in Indonesia. The Government indicated that the MUI and the Indonesian Government are two distinct entities and that the Government has no authority of any kind to influence or interfere in the decisions of the religious body. 165. The Government informed that the police took a number of measures following the incident. They took steps to prevent physical clashes between the Ahmadiyyah and members of the community, including by asking local imams to keep the peace. They also took steps to guard the assets and activities of the Ahmadiyyah by involving the community in a community watch programme (siskamling). Observations 166. The Special Rapporte ur is grateful for the Government’s responses to some of the communications and urges the Government to reply to the other communications. The Special Rapporteur draws the Government’s attention to Resolution 2005/40 of the UN Commission on Human Rights, in which the Commission urges States to ensure the right of all persons to worship or assemble in connection with a religion or belief and to establish and maintain places for these purposes. 167. Paragraph 8 (a) of Resolution 2005/40 urges states to step up their efforts to eliminate intolerance and discrimination based on religion or belief notably by taking all necessary and appropriate action, in conformity with international standards of human rights, to combat hatred, intolerance and acts of violence, intimidation and coercion motivated by intolerance based on religion or belief, with particular regard to religious minorities and also to devote particular attention to practices that violate the human rights of women and discriminate against women. 168. She also recalls Article 6(a) of the 1981 Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion in which it is stated that the right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief includes the freedom, “[t]o worship or assemble in connection with a religion or belief, and to