Governor Abilio urged to review ruling on mosque
Governor Abilio urged to review ruling on mosque
JAKARTA (JP): The National Commission on Human Rights urged the East Timor administration yesterday to review a ruling compelling non-Catholics to obtain a recommendation from the local Catholic parish priest before they can build a house of worship.
"The gubernatorial decree should be reviewed in order not to prolong misunderstandings between the various religious communities in East Timor," Commission Deputy Chairman Marzuki Darusman told The Jakarta Post by phone yesterday.
Governor Abilio Jose Osorio Soares' decree No. 79/1995 provides that applicants for permits for the establishment of houses of worship have to enclose a recommendation from the local Catholic parish priest.
Marzuki was commenting on the latest development in the rehabilitation program for mosques in East Timor. The program is being held up because of permit and funding constraints, chairman of the Indonesian Ulemas Council, Hasan Basri, said on Monday.
Citing a report of the council's East Timor office, Basri said the office had encountered difficulties in rehabilitating damaged mosques and mushalla (small prayer houses).
"They have to wait for a permit from the local Catholic parish priest," Basri said, as quoted by Antara.
Protests have also come from, among others, the Forum for Moslem Brotherhood, which is a loose association of major organizations such as Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama.
Business tycoon Probosutedjo, who also chairs the Indonesian Moslem Solidarity organization, said that the native East Timorese, after 400 years of living under Portuguese colonialism, are not yet accustomed to the peaceful co-existence of various religious groups.
Marzuki said yesterday it is the people living in the area surrounding a proposed house of worship who have the authority to provide a recommendation on any application.
He said that although the governor's decree is legitimate, the local administration should not be too strict in the implementation.
"We should all realize that we have to help each other in every aspect of life," he said.
Marzuki also called on the people to avoid turning the administrative case into a political issue or linking the decree with the recent rioting in the province.
"The decree was issued in July, while the riots took place two months later," he said.
"There is no relationship between the two occurrences at all," he added.
Marzuki added that, for the repair of damaged mosques, no such recommendations are required.
Discrimination in relation to the establishment of houses of worship has long been a problem in Indonesia.
Christians in predominantly Moslem areas have often complained of difficulties in procuring permits to build churches.
The government has delegated authority issue permits for the building of houses of worship to regents and mayors.
A Joint Decree of the Ministers of Home Affairs and Religious Affairs, issued in 1969, stipulates that regents and mayors should take into consideration city planning, local conditions and suggestions from local Ministry of Religion offices.
The Indonesian Bishops' Conference has asked for a simplification of application procedures for church-building permits.
The Communion of (Protestant) Churches in Indonesia has also asked the government to make clearer regulations about building permits for houses of worship, saying that Christian communities should be given legal certainty in the matter. (imn)