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ICG warns of mob rule, religious intolerance

The government must take action to curb rising religious intolerance triggered by struggles between evangelical Christians and hard-line Islamists, a think tank says

Bagus BT Saragih (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Thu, November 25, 2010

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ICG warns of mob rule, religious intolerance

T

he government must take action to curb rising religious intolerance triggered by struggles between evangelical Christians and hard-line Islamists, a think tank says.

In a report titled Indonesia: “Christianization” and Intolerance, the Indonesia Crisis Group (ICG) said that Islamists use “Christianization” — a local term referring to alleged acts of proselytization by Christians in the predominantly Muslim country — as a justification for mass mobilization and vigilante attacks.

“Without a clear strategy, mob rule prevails. All too frequently, officials capitulate to the group that makes the most noise and the victors are then emboldened to raise the stakes at the next confrontation,” ICG senior advisor Sidney Jones said in a media release on Wednesday.

The group followed clashes between religious groups in Bekasi, West Java, where a Christian foundation had been accused of proselytization.

Muslim groups claimed the foundation used its social and education activities as “camouflage” to convert the poor, especially street children.

Another foundation, which used Arabic calligraphy on booklets, required students to convert at least five people as a graduation requirement, according to the report.

The ICG said proselytization has prompted violence, such as the attack on a HKBP church site in October — even though the denomination was not evangelical and did not seek Muslim converts.

The ICG documented similar incidents in Poso, Central Sulawesi; Palembang, South Sumatra; Bogor, West Java; and several areas in Papua.

A lack of proactive measures by the government has led to stagnation in promoting religious tolerance, the ICG said.

“The government at both the national and local levels needs to push efforts to promote respect for other religions, for example by working with the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission [KPI],” Sydney said.

The ICG identified several religious broadcasting institutions preaching hatred that the government and the KPI should target.

Another suggestion was to promote respect for different religions in elementary school curriculums.

“Officials and legislators talk of the need for religious harmony, but there is a sense that this can be also legislated or even imposed,” ICG Southeast Asia Project Director Jim Della-Giacoma said.

“It will require some of the wisest heads in Indonesia to understand the sources of tension and come up with policies that can change attitudes and decrease confrontation.”

The head of Center of Religious Tolerance at the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Abdul Fatah, played down the ICG’s report, saying the government had done its best to promote tolerance.

“I acknowledge sometimes some cases appear and the public points their fingers at us. Please don’t generalize and undermine our efforts based on incidental cases,” he said.

He said that the 2006 joint ministerial regulation on houses of worship, which has been deemed discriminatory by human rights groups and pluralism activists, was the most effective way to address religious conflicts.

“The law should be enforced and perpetrators of attacks on houses of worship should be punished regardless of their religious backgrounds,” Abdul added.

The report gave six reasons behind rising intolerance, three of which were under the purview of government, which the report said had failed to prevent the intimidation of religious minorities and to promote religious tolerance as a national value.

Della-Giacoma feared that proselytization would lead to the radicalization of non-violent Islamic groups.

“In 2008, members of a non-violent anti-apostasy group in Palembang were radicalized after a fugitive terrorist persuaded them to try to kill pastors.

“Several men currently on trial for participating in a terrorist training camp in Aceh admitted they joined out of concern of ‘Christianization’ in Aceh,” he said.

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