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.