Church row in Bekasi resolved amicably<\/p>\n
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Tension between Muslims and Christians at Jati Mulya housing
\ncomplex in Bekasi, West Java, has come to a peaceful end, at
\nleast for the time being, with the latter agreeing to conduct
\ntheir Sunday services at the nearby Social Affairs Agency office.<\/p>\n
Bekasi Regental Secretary Herry Koesaeri said on Monday that
\nthe agreement was reached at a meeting between leaders of Muslims
\nand Christians on Sunday, witnessed by Jakarta Police chief Ins.
\nGen. Firman Gani, House of Representatives member Effendi
\nSimbolon and a representative of the Bekasi administration.<\/p>\n
\"We hope that the agreement will resolve differences among
\nresidents in the Jati Mulya housing complex,\" Ferry told The
\nJakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Some 500 Christians from the HKBP Church scuffled with 200
\nMuslims at the housing complex on Sunday morning after they held
\na 30-minute service on the street leading to their place of
\nworship, which has been blocked by Muslims since September.<\/p>\n
There was no violence as police quickly separated the two
\ngroups.<\/p>\n
According to Ferry, Christians would now conduct their
\nreligious services at the Social Affairs Agency office on Jl.
\nJoyo Martono, about a kilometer away from the closed church on
\nJl. Melati Raya Ujung, for the next two months, while local
\nauthorities and religious leaders find a place for the Christians
\nto build a church.<\/p>\n
The Christians also agreed not to conduct religious activities
\nin a church on Jl. Melati Raya Ujung, while local Muslims agreed
\nnot to destroy the church that has been used as place of worship
\nsince 1993.<\/p>\n
Protestant Minister Maruli Tobing said on Monday that
\nChristians in Jati Mulya would abide by the agreement in order to
\navoid bloody conflict among adherents of the two religions.<\/p>\n
\"I see there are good intentions from the Bekasi regental
\nadministration in allowing us to conduct religious services in a
\nbuilding owned by the Social Affairs Agency,\" he told the Post.<\/p>\n
He expressed the hope that the administration and religious
\nleaders would soon find a place for Christians there to build a
\nchurch.<\/p>\n
Ferry said the Bekasi regental administration had in 1993
\nrejected a request by Christians to officially recognize the
\nhouse on Jl. Melati Raya Ujung as a place of worship, on the
\ngrounds that local residents rejected its presence in the area.<\/p>\n
A joint ministerial decree issued by the Ministry of Home
\nAffairs and the Ministry of Religious Affairs in 1969 requires
\nadherents of any religious domination to secure permission from
\nsurrounding residents if they want to build a place of worship,
\nbe it a mosque, a church or a Buddhist temple.<\/p>\n
With Christians being in the minority in a country of 220
\nmillion people, the decree has made it difficult for Christians
\nto build churches. This has caused Christians to use houses,
\nshop-houses and even hotels for their religious activities.<\/p>\n
Recently, however, certain Muslim hard-liners have taken the
\nlaw into their own hands, closing down churches in West Java,
\nEast Java and Greater Jakarta on the grounds that they do not
\nhave building permits. Police have taken no action against the
\nvigilantes.<\/p>\n
Christians, supported by a number of public figures including
\nformer president Abdurrahman Wahid, have called on the government
\nto revise the decree as the ruling was unfair towards adherents
\nof minority religions.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/church-row-in-bekasi-resolved-amicably-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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