'Should we consult our neighbors?'

Muslim hard-line groups have recently forced the closure of churches and other Christian places of worship in Jakarta, Bekasi, Bandung and Surakarta because they did not have the necessary permits to operate. These acts, which have received strong criticism from moderate religious groups, have once again put religious tolerance under the spotlight. The Jakarta Post interviewed two residents about the issue.

Fitri Widhianto, 30, works as a designer with a private company in Kamal, West Jakarta. He lives with his family in Pondok Labu, Depok.

It's hard for me to understand why such narrow-minded acts still take place in our pluralistic society. Having a house of worship where congregation members can pray is a basic human right. Why should people of certain religions have to secure permission from locals to build a place of worship? It's like having to ask your neighbors before you are allowed to embrace a religion.

I think this is actually a problem of power. There is a group of people which wants greater power over other groups. The use of the 1969 joint ministerial decree to crush other groups is merely a legal justification of the group's desire for power. That simply shows how intolerant the group is.

Violence will only destroy the religious tolerance built up in our society. Should people feel disturbed by the activities of other religions, they can talk or even remonstrate with them, but not take the law into their own hands.

Constan Hartoto, 35, a resident of Kedoya, West Jakarta. He works at a private company in Mauk, Tangerang, Banten.

Halting the construction of places of worship simply reflects how infantile the group is. We live in a pluralistic society and no one should deny it. But we can't force people to become mature if they don't want to.

For me, it would be better if Christians didn't fight for the right to establish new churches. I don't think it is necessary for these minority Christians to push to get more permits to build more churches in this country, when the majority here are Muslims. They should use their existing churches, not build new ones if the majority doesn't want them.

--The Jakarta Post