ICC Note:
Religious intolerance against Christian churches is increasing across Indonesia. Local authorities shut down churches at an average of 40 per year under the pressure of radical Islamist and usually citing the lack of a legal building permit (it is almost impossible to obtain these permits and even possessing a legal one does not guarantee protection). The current government of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has been turning a blind eye and acting passively toward worsening religious intolerance. As the presidential election on July 9 is approaching, human rights groups are urging the next president to fight persecution in Indonesia.
06/10/2014 Indonesia (UCANEWS)- The next president must commit to upholding religious freedom in light of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s failure to do so and continuing attacks against worshippers, an official from the Communion of Churches in Indonesia (PGI) has said.
The comments were made at press conference in Jakarta on Monday, ahead of the presidential election set for July 9. They follow an attack in late May on Catholics during a prayer service. Jerry Sumampouw, PGI’s executive secretary of Diakonia desk, told ucanews.com that little was improving with regards to freedom of religion.
On May 29, a group of Catholics holding a prayer service in a private home in Sleman district, Yogyakarta, were attacked by dozens of men, injuring at least seven people. Three days later, a Protestant church was stoned by Islamic hardliners who claimed the church had no building permit.
“It’s difficult to build places of worship for religious minority groups,” Sumampouw said. “Worse, the state is steered by such intolerant groups and fails to put the constitution that guarantees religious freedom into practice.”
A 2006 decree states that any religious community not part of the local majority must have at least 90 congregation members and approval from at least 60 people from other religious communities before they build a place of worship. “
Case after case happens. In most incidences of violence against minorities, perpetrators get away completely or are given a light sentence,” Sumampouw said.
According to the Jakarta-based human rights monitoring group Setara Institute, violations of freedom of religion or belief have increased year on year, from a documented 200 incidents in 2009 to 264 in 2012.
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