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)