Ministry of Religious Affairs Adopts 'LGBTQ Culture' Prevention Terminology Following Presidential Regulation 111
The Ministry of Religious Affairs is compiling materials to prevent the spread of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) culture for educational institutions. Vice Minister of Religious Affairs Romo Muhammad Syafi’i stated that this initiative follows up on Presidential Regulation Number 111 of 2025 concerning the General Policy on State Defence for 2025-2029, which categorises the spread of LGBTQ culture as a non-military threat.
Romo Syafi’i confirmed that the materials being drafted use the term ‘spread of LGBTQ culture’ as stipulated in the regulation. He explained that this terminology distinguishes between individuals and the movement or ideology that is the focus of the educational content. ‘The Presidential Regulation uses the term spread of LGBT culture, not LGBT. Because if it is LGBT, it targets the personal, but when it is culture, it is a movement,’ he said on Tuesday, 14 July 2026, as quoted from a written statement on the ministry’s official website.
The Vice Minister stated that the substance of the materials is still being formulated. He emphasised that the drafting process involves cross-unit collaboration within the Ministry of Religious Affairs, engaging academics and experts. This approach is expected to produce materials appropriate for the developmental stage of students, enabling effective implementation at every educational level. ‘We are thinking about how we can provide materials that are appropriate for the educational level so that they are understood by them. So from the beginning, we are already safeguarding,’ he said.
He conveyed that the materials are designed based on constitutional foundations, laws and regulations, and the religious values embraced in the country. Romo Syafi’i then referred to Indonesia as a state based on the belief in the One and Only God, as stated in Article 29 paragraph (1) of the 1945 Constitution and Pancasila. ‘We have asked all religious leaders, and not a single one said their religion supports, accepts, or legitimises LGBT. Understanding LGBT as part of human rights in Indonesia was previously unacceptable,’ he said.
On the same occasion, the Head of the Centre for Education and Religious Policy Strategy, Ahmad Zainul Hamdi, stated that the drafting is being carried out as a ministry-level policy. This allows the materials to be implemented in an integrated manner across all educational institutions under the Ministry of Religious Affairs. For this reason, the drafting involves all directorates overseeing interfaith education. ‘We will also build a team of experts from universities because there are no expert human resources in the central bureaucracy. Like the drafting of other policy documents, this material will also be prepared together with academics,’ said Inung, Ahmad Zainul Hamdi’s nickname.
Furthermore, the Head of the Agency for Religious Moderation and Human Resource Development, Muhammad Ali Ramdhani, mentioned that the drafting is still in its early stages. Each education directorate, including those for Islam, Christianity, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism, is asked to prepare draft materials according to the characteristics of their respective educational units, to be discussed and refined together. In the initial phase, the drafting focuses on primary and secondary education, including madrasas and pesantren, before further development as needed. ‘The principle is that this material must be appropriate for the educational level, easy to understand, and can be part of efforts to strengthen the values we instil in the educational environment,’ he said.
Presidential Regulation 111/2025 has been opposed by several civil society organisations that advocate for human rights, including Amnesty International Indonesia. Amnesty criticised the government’s move to classify the spread of LGBTQ culture in the same group of non-military threats as serious crimes. Amnesty believes the decision violates fundamental rights guaranteed by the constitution and international law, including the rights to privacy, freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, and freedom from discrimination. The policy is seen as ignoring Indonesia’s commitments under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which it has ratified. The covenant affirms the state’s obligation to protect all citizens regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. Labelling the LGBTQ community as a state threat is considered a form of dehumanisation that could incite public hatred.