'Should we consult our neighbors?'

'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