Eroded religious freedom in int'l spotlight

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Thu, 03/06/2008 1:22 AM  |  Headlines

A coalition of human rights groups will highlight the threat to freedom of religion in Indonesia during the ongoing United Nations Human Rights Council plenary meeting in Geneva, Switzerland.

The coalition, calling itself the Human Rights Working Group, consisting of more than 35 Indonesian non-governmental organizations, said that to ensure freedom of religion in the country, the state should not adopt policies based on recommendations from mainstream religions.

"According to the international human rights perspective, there should not be any domination of religious interpretations from one certain religion," the coalition's coordinator, Rafendi Djamin, told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

Rafendi said that in many cases, the government seemed to agree with or issued policies based on recommendations from influential religious institutions like the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI).

This violates the fundamental rights of minority religious groups, he said.

"The case of the MUI's fatwa (religious decree) declaring Ahmadiyah a heretical group has caused the group members to be ill-treated, while the government seems to be OK with it," Rafendi said.

Religious Affairs Minister M. Maftuh Basyuni said last month, following the issuance of the MUI fatwa, that the government considered Ahmadiyah heretical.

The ministry issued a decree establishing a monitoring team to supervise the sect on Jan. 24. The team includes officials from the Religious Affairs Ministry, Attorney General's Office, Home Ministry and National Police.

Ahmadiyah was declared heretical for recognizing Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, its founder, as the last prophet, rather than Muhammad.

After a string of mob attacks on the group's properties, Ahmadiyah's leaders issued a statement containing "12 points of explanation", including their acknowledgment of Muhammad as the final prophet.

Rafendi said violations of freedom of religion were on the increase in Indonesia.

Other cases of the destruction and closure of houses of worship by religious groups indicated the government's failure to protect the rights of its citizens to worship freely, Rafendi said.

"The government has also failed to take strict action against certain religious groups who have perpetrated violence," he said.

"During the meeting, we will give recommendations to the government representatives on this issue," Rafendi said. "We hope the government will commit to working on the recommendations based on international human rights standards."

The coalition, which will send five representatives to the meeting, held March 3 to 28, will also convey their concerns about human rights defenders who they say have faced constant intimidation, and Indonesian migrant workers who lack protection. (dia)

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