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When freedom of faith loses out in democracy
We have seen too many cases of violations of freedom of religion, a right that is enshrined in the Constitution, enough to know that we have a serious problem.
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Two problems stand out in particular from the list of cases: The persecutions against religious minorities and followers of spiritual beliefs, and the constant use of the 1965 Blasphemy Law to protect the big religions instead of religious minorities in practicing their faith. (Shutterstock/MyImages - Micha)
W
hen it comes to guaranteeing freedom of religion, Indonesia falls short of its commitment. Far too short in fact for a nation that touts itself as the world’s third-largest democracy and one that likes to portray itself as a model on governing a large nation with religiously diverse population.
Indonesia also enjoys the accolade as the largest Muslim-majority democracy to dispel the “clash of civilizations” theorem that doubts the compatibility between Islam and democracy. This may be the case for now, but not for long unless Indonesia gets its acts together.
We have seen too many cases of violations of freedom of religion, a right that is enshrined in the Constitution, enough to know that we have a serious problem. Many organizations concerned with freedom of faith, including particularly the Wahid Institute, have tirelessly reminded us of this.
We do not need outsiders to tell us of this failure. But this year’s United States’ report on freedom of religion, published by the US Department of State this month, provides further material as a reason for concern and a ground for action.
While the report highlights far bigger problems in other countries around the world, the chapter on Indonesia runs a long list of cases of violations of freedom of religion in the past year. There is nothing in the report that we do not already know, but by putting these cases in one long list, it reveals the extent of how serious the problem has become.
We cannot afford to remain in denial and let this loss of freedom undermine our democracy.
Two problems stand out in particular from the list of cases: The persecutions against religious minorities and followers of spiritual beliefs, and the constant use of the 1965 Blasphemy Law to protect the big religions instead of religious minorities in practicing their faith.
