Neighborhood remains tense over presence of houses of worship
Neighborhood remains tense over presence of houses of worship
Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The neighborhood on Jl. Melati Raya Ujung in Jati Mulya housing
complex, Bekasi regency was calm on Wednesday morning. The voices
of students in the nearby Atthoriq Islamic school were heard
occasionally.
What made the situation different were two blockades local
residents had erected on the road leading to the HKBP and Gekindo
churches.
"Closed down by local residents", was written on the barriers.
Supiah, 30, a Muslim who lives near the churches, said that
she did fully understand why access to the churches had been
denied.
"My husband and I don't know what happened. I just saw some 12
people come and starting erecting a blockade. I am a Muslim and I
think people have a right to do their prayers," she told The
Jakarta Post.
Other people in the neighborhood, however, think differently.
"The buildings are not churches as they are just houses which
have been turned into places of worship. We must close off access
to these buildings as they have no permits," said Hidayat, head
of neighborhood unit No. 18, told the Post.
He claimed that if congregation members dared to remove the
barrier or conduct Sunday services there, a clash would certainly
break out.
Around 500 Christians from both churches were forced to hold
Sunday services on a nearby road after a group of local people
blocked the way into their respective churches last Sunday.
No violence was reported during the services as a group of
officers from Bekasi Police came to the site to provide security.
In the last three days, there have been dialogs between
representatives from both sides to solve the problem.
Jati Mulya subdistrict head Jamun said that representatives of
local residents in the neighborhood had decided that the churches
had to be moved.
"Right now, we are trying to find an alternative place as it
is clear that they can't hold services there. We are now holding
discussions with the congregation ministers, district head, and
the regent," he told the Post.
Jamun explained that the situation was tense since renovation
work in the churches began.
"However, I am sure that this row is just due to a lack of
communication between the two sides because if local residents
didn't agree with the Sunday services, they would have closed the
two churches years ago," he said.
Sunday services in the buildings started in 1993 with almost
no objections from local residents.
Another resident, Herman, agreed with Jamun, saying that
congregation members should mix with local residents, and if
possible, help the locals improve the road.
"Many congregation members are not even residents of this
housing complex. They don't even talk to us. If they come on
Sunday, they fill the road with their cars. Why can't they help
us maintain the road, for instance," he said.
Both Jamun and Herman agreed that if congregation members had
better communication with the local people, the incident would
have been prevented.