The Huria Kristen Batak Protestan (HKBP) congregation in Bekasi has ignored a government recommendation to relocate their services to a new premises.

The main aim of this suggestion was to avoid continued attacks by Muslim residents hell-bent on preventing the construction of a church in their neighborhood.  

Aware of the repercussions, religious scholars urged the government to take necessary measures to ease interfaith tension following an attack that left one church official seriously injured in an incident widely seen as a grave threat to religious harmony in the country.

The church’s spokesman, Judianto Simandjuntak, said the congregation would continue holding their services at the current location in Ciketing.

“We will remain in Ciketing because we have the constitutional right to perform religious services.”

Accepting the offer would be unwise since an agreement already existed between the congregation and the Bekasi administration, he added.

“On July 9, members of the congregation met and reached an agreement with the local administration that we could continue holding services at our rightful site at Ciketing.”

Religious Affairs Ministry secretary-general Bachrul Hayat said the government planned to hold further discussions with religious leaders to seek a permanent solution to the conflict.     

“While we discuss a permanent solution, we can offer the congregation temporary use of a building owned by a mass organization, to perform their weekly mass,” he said.

The long-smoldering conflict between the church and local Muslims culminated on Sunday when assailants assaulted church official Hasian Sihombing and Rev. Luspida Simandjuntak.

Hasian was stabbed in the stomach while Luspida was struck on the head with a wooden plank, according to witnesses and police reports. The police allege they have caught two suspects in the attacks but have yet to reveal their identities.

Religious scholars decried the attacks and urged the government to take swift action to prevent the problem from snowballing.    

Ahmad Syafi’i Ma’arif, a former chairman of Muhammadiyah, the second-largest Islamic organization in the country, said the government must start a thorough investigation into the case.

“No better solution exists but to punish the perpetrators, whoever they may be.

“The condition will be extremely unpleasant if suspicions and speculations related to religious differences arise as a result of the attack,” he told The Jakarta Post.

Hasyim Muzadi, the secretary-general of the International Conference of Islamic Scholars (ICIS), told the government to bring the perpetrators to justice and reveal the true motive of their crime.

He also said the attack on the church leaders was not “simply a sign of conflict, but an act of terror.”

The government should discuss the problems not only with the radicals but also with those from moderate groups, he added.

“Lately, I see the government only discussing this matter with radicals while they forget to ask our opinion,” he said.

Frans Magnis-Suseno, a Catholic priest and scholar, said that without punishment, the perpetrators would feel “above the law”, which would increase incidences of sectarian conflict.

He called on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to be more firm in reminding the public that everyone, including minority groups, had the right to religious freedom.

“Both the central and local governments should no longer focus their attention on pleasing the masses instead of carrying out their duty of upholding the Constitution and the principles of Pancasila.

“There’s a lack of moral fortitude in carrying out state obligations,” he added.(gzl)

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