The Jakarta Post, August 29, 2005
Govt won't prosecute Muslim hard-liners over church closure
Muninggar Sri Saraswati and Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta/Bandung
The government said it would not take action against Muslim hard-liners who closed
down dozens of churches in West Java last year, arguing that what was being closed
down were not churches but "illegal congregations".
"We will do nothing. We only clarify here that there were no church closures,"
Minister of Religious Affairs M. Maftuh Basyuni said late last week after a Cabinet
meeting.
"The case has been settled and the church side understand this."
He explained that the group closed down the illegal congregations set up in residential
areas because they "had created anxiety among local residents" in the predominantly
Muslim province.
The government, he added, has issued regulations for establishing houses of worship
that must be obeyed by all citizens.
The minister was referring to a joint ministerial decree signed in 1969 by then religious
affairs minister Moh. Dahlan and home minister Amir Machmud, which requires those
who want to establish places of worship to obtain permission from local
administrations and the approval of local residents.
Moderate Muslim leaders, including Azyumardi Azra and former president
Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid, have urged the government to resolve the case and
take firm action against a small intolerant section of the Muslim community.
They said that only the government is authorized to close down houses of worship.
The West Java Police have also previously said they would not make any arrests of
persons involved in the closure of the churches because no violence occurred during
the closures.
However, the police on Friday summoned the leader of Muslim hard-line group
Anti-Apostasy Movement Alliance (AGAP), Muhammad Mu'min Al-Mubarak, for
questioning as a suspect, not related to the church closure case, but in connection
with the unauthorized confiscation of liquor by 300 of the group's followers on July 24,
2005 from seven shops in Bandung. The charge carries a maximum penalty of six
years in prison under Article 406 of the Criminal Code.
Earlier head of the Indonesian Communion of Churches (PGI) Andreas A. Yewangoe
complained to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono about the closure of 23
churches in the West Java capital of Bandung and neighboring areas by the hard-line
group last year.
However, chairman of the Communication Forum of West Java Churches John Simon
Timorason claimed that a total of 35 churches had been closed down by the hard-line
group over the past year.
He admitted that the closed churches did not have permits as required in the joint
ministerial decree, but had indeed obtained operational licenses from the West Java
Religious Affairs Office.
The government of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is facing a serious problem
on how to deal with rising religious fanaticism in the country, which has the world's
largest Muslim population. The administration has been facing strong criticism from
moderate religious leaders as it has failed to take action against thousands of
hard-liners who in July attacked the Jamaah Ahmadiyah Congregation (JAI) compound
in Bogor, West Java.
Ahmadiyah was formed in Pakistan in the 19th century. Its followers believe that
Ghulam Ahmad Khan, who founded the group, was a prophet who came after the
Prophet Muhammad, whom mainstream Muslims believe was God's final messenger.
Ahmadiyah is little known in Indonesia and there are only an estimated 200,000
followers in the country.
Experts have called on the government to act swiftly to protect people's right to freely
practice their religion.
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