Govt to revise religious decree

Govt to revise religious decree

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government decided on Wednesday to revise a controversial
ministerial decree on the establishment of houses of worship in a
bid to curb interfaith violence in the nation with the world's
largest population of Muslims.

"Hopefully, revisions can be completed later in September,"
Minister of Religious Affairs Maftuh Basyuni was quoted by Antara
as saying after a meeting to discuss the joint decree at the
Ministry of Home Affairs.

He said the planned revisions to the decree, issued jointly by
the religious affairs ministry and the home ministry in 1969, are
aimed mainly at ensuring freedom of religion and avoiding
multiple interpretations. He did not elaborate further.

Minister of Home Affairs M. Ma'ruf, who also attended the
meeting, said the ministerial decree would be revised so as to be
"harmonized and synchronized" with Law No. 32/2004 on regional
administration.

Also present at the Wednesday meeting were Minister of Justice
and Human Rights Hamid Awaluddin, Attorney General Abdul Rahman
Saleh, National Police chief Gen. Sutanto and secretary to the
chief security minister Sumaryono.

Ma'ruf had earlier said the decree, blamed partly by some
people for attacks on followers of other faiths, was outdated and
needed a review in order to adjust to the current situation.

"The decree was issued in 1969 and we have experienced many
changes in the government system. Therefore, it should be
consistent with Law No. 32/2004," he said.

The joint ministerial decree requires that permission from
local authorities and local residents be obtained before
constructing places of worship.

The decision to revise the decree was prompted by dozens of
forcible closures by Muslims hard-liners of many Christian houses
of worship in Bandung and neighboring districts in West Java.

However, police have so far refused to take any action against
activists of the Anti-Apostasy Movement Alliance (AGAP),
including the Islam Defenders Front (FPI), who claimed
responsibility for the closures.

The police justified their inaction by saying the church
closures were not violent and that the decree only allows law
enforcement personnel to take action if a religious dispute turns
into a criminal act.

However, the law also forbids civilians from taking the law
into their hands.

The church closures drew strong reactions from many people,
particularly moderate Muslims, with some calling for the
revocation of the ministerial decree to stop such interfaith
conflict.

Nevertheless, others have argued that the decree should be
maintained, saying that it was not the key issue in settling
religious conflict in Indonesia.

The crucial problem for the nation was how to promote
religious tolerance and strengthen relations among followers of
different faiths, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) leader Hasyim Muzadi said.

"Should the SKB (the ministerial decree) be revoked while
churches and their neighbors don't have good relations, it would
continue to create problems. So, I call on Muslims to increase
tolerance and for outsiders not to interfere," he said on
Tuesday.

Hasyim also urged Christians to be more introspective when it
comes to establishing churches, while taking into account their
relations with Muslims and others in their community.

Stronger sentiment was voiced by clerics from East Java's
Madura island, who said the ministerial decree should be made
into law in order to strengthen regulations on the establishment
of places of worship.

"The SKB is substantial in religious life. It's a pillar that
should not be weakened, let alone revoked ... I disagree with the
perception that the decree has led to violations of human
rights," Madurese Muslim cleric Kholilurrohman said recently.