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Islands in focus: Disabled urges worship access
An inter-religion community of young disabled members and a number of non-governmental groups in Yogyakarta have sent a petition to President Joko âJokowiâ Widodo and religious organizations to demand an end to discrimination against the disabled in matters of worship and religious education
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A
n inter-religion community of young disabled members and a number of non-governmental groups in Yogyakarta have sent a petition to President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo and religious organizations to demand an end to discrimination against the disabled in matters of worship and religious education.
'The petition was made given the complaints by disabled groups that face difficulty accessing houses of worship and obtaining the teachings of religious leaders because facilities are only for so-called normal people,' Dria Manunggal director Setia Adi Purwanta told reporters in Yogyakarta on Thursday.
Based at the Dria Manunggal office, various NGOs, including the Yogyakarta Legal Aid Institute, Bhinneka Tunggal Ika National Alliance, Inter-religious Youth Group and Inter-Religion Disabled Youth, signed the petition consisting of 11 points.
'Discrimination takes place because religious authorities remain shackled by normal ideology and the thinking that houses of worship are for the able-bodied majority. People with disabilities are regarded a minority and have not been taken into account,' said Setia.
