'People just want to pray'<\/p>\n
The forcible closures of Christian places of worship in Jakarta,
\nBekasi, Bandung and Surakarta by hard-line Muslim groups has
\nraised questions about religious tolerance in the country. The
\nJakarta Post interviewed some Jakarta people about the issue.<\/p>\n
Gracia Silaban , 23, is a university student who lives in
\nKebayoran Lama, South Jakarta:<\/p>\n
As far as I know, whenever a new place of worship is about to
\nbe built, the church council usually faces more difficulties than
\nMuslims if they want to build a mosque.<\/p>\n
It's almost impossible to build a church as the council has to
\ngo through an arduous process of getting the land and building
\nuse permits, approval from the local community and
\nadministration, and much more besides.<\/p>\n
I just hope that the government will revise the regulations,
\nas they place an unnecessary burden on some religious communities
\nin the country, and instead start to treat all religions equally.<\/p>\n
Maybe the government can simplify the procedures. There's no
\nneed for so much red tape.<\/p>\n
People just want to pray.<\/p>\n
About the place of worship being forced to close by locals
\nafter 13 years in operation, I think the church congregation
\nshould consider their behavior. Naybe they have disturbed the
\nlocals lately with their activities or something.<\/p>\n
I believe there must have been reasons that made them angry.<\/p>\n
Ryan Pandey, 28, is a staff member in an English language
\ninstitution on Jl. Kapt. Tendean, South Jakarta. He lives in
\nDuren Sawit, East Jakarta:<\/p>\n
The attacks on places of worship and the government's response
\nto this problem make me wonder about democracy in this country.<\/p>\n
It is ironic that these things are occurring after we
\ndemocratically elected our President.<\/p>\n
Why doesn't the government make the procedures for building
\nplaces of worship simpler, especially for minorities?<\/p>\n
-- The Jakarta Post<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/people-just-want-to-pray-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }