Govt to revise religious decree<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The government decided on Wednesday to revise a controversial
\nministerial decree on the establishment of houses of worship in a
\nbid to curb interfaith violence in the nation with the world's
\nlargest population of Muslims.<\/p>\n
\"Hopefully, revisions can be completed later in September,\"
\nMinister of Religious Affairs Maftuh Basyuni was quoted by Antara
\nas saying after a meeting to discuss the joint decree at the
\nMinistry of Home Affairs.<\/p>\n
He said the planned revisions to the decree, issued jointly by
\nthe religious affairs ministry and the home ministry in 1969, are
\naimed mainly at ensuring freedom of religion and avoiding
\nmultiple interpretations. He did not elaborate further.<\/p>\n
Minister of Home Affairs M. Ma'ruf, who also attended the
\nmeeting, said the ministerial decree would be revised so as to be
\n\"harmonized and synchronized\" with Law No. 32\/2004 on regional
\nadministration.<\/p>\n
Also present at the Wednesday meeting were Minister of Justice
\nand Human Rights Hamid Awaluddin, Attorney General Abdul Rahman
\nSaleh, National Police chief Gen. Sutanto and secretary to the
\nchief security minister Sumaryono.<\/p>\n
Ma'ruf had earlier said the decree, blamed partly by some
\npeople for attacks on followers of other faiths, was outdated and
\nneeded a review in order to adjust to the current situation.<\/p>\n
\"The decree was issued in 1969 and we have experienced many
\nchanges in the government system. Therefore, it should be
\nconsistent with Law No. 32\/2004,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The joint ministerial decree requires that permission from
\nlocal authorities and local residents be obtained before
\nconstructing places of worship.<\/p>\n
The decision to revise the decree was prompted by dozens of
\nforcible closures by Muslims hard-liners of many Christian houses
\nof worship in Bandung and neighboring districts in West Java.<\/p>\n
However, police have so far refused to take any action against
\nactivists of the Anti-Apostasy Movement Alliance (AGAP),
\nincluding the Islam Defenders Front (FPI), who claimed
\nresponsibility for the closures.<\/p>\n
The police justified their inaction by saying the church
\nclosures were not violent and that the decree only allows law
\nenforcement personnel to take action if a religious dispute turns
\ninto a criminal act.<\/p>\n
However, the law also forbids civilians from taking the law
\ninto their hands.<\/p>\n
The church closures drew strong reactions from many people,
\nparticularly moderate Muslims, with some calling for the
\nrevocation of the ministerial decree to stop such interfaith
\nconflict.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, others have argued that the decree should be
\nmaintained, saying that it was not the key issue in settling
\nreligious conflict in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
The crucial problem for the nation was how to promote
\nreligious tolerance and strengthen relations among followers of
\ndifferent faiths, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) leader Hasyim Muzadi said.<\/p>\n
\"Should the SKB (the ministerial decree) be revoked while
\nchurches and their neighbors don't have good relations, it would
\ncontinue to create problems. So, I call on Muslims to increase
\ntolerance and for outsiders not to interfere,\" he said on
\nTuesday.<\/p>\n
Hasyim also urged Christians to be more introspective when it
\ncomes to establishing churches, while taking into account their
\nrelations with Muslims and others in their community.<\/p>\n
Stronger sentiment was voiced by clerics from East Java's
\nMadura island, who said the ministerial decree should be made
\ninto law in order to strengthen regulations on the establishment
\nof places of worship.<\/p>\n
\"The SKB is substantial in religious life. It's a pillar that
\nshould not be weakened, let alone revoked ... I disagree with the
\nperception that the decree has led to violations of human
\nrights,\" Madurese Muslim cleric Kholilurrohman said recently.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/govt-to-revise-religious-decree-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}