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Religious freedom in US and Indonesia
Religious freedom in the United States is guaranteed by the First Amendment of the Constitution: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances
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span>Religious freedom in the United States is guaranteed by the First Amendment of the Constitution: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”
This freedom encompasses freedom to believe or to not believe, and freedom to practice one’s belief without coercion and interference. The state must therefore remain secular, and interfering with people’s religious beliefs can be considered an act against human rights.
“Religious freedom is a foundational American value. It is a universal and unalienable right that should be afforded to all,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said at the second Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom in Washington this month.
The US’ principle on religious freedom appears most ideal for it guarantees total and true freedom to adopt or not adopt any form of religious belief.
Indonesia is neither religious nor secular; it stands in the middle, with Pancasila as its foundation. The first sila or principle of Pancasila states “Belief in the One and Only God”.
But what does this mean for religious freedom in Indonesia?
Although Article 29 of the 1945 Constitution guarantees religious freedom, it is officially taken to mean “freedom” to embrace any of the six officially recognized religions: Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism.
“Freedom” becomes questionable and ambiguous. Religion becomes a public matter because every citizen’s religious identity has to be declared in official documents. Students must be enrolled in religious classes. Religious freedom is perhaps better re-phrased as religious obligation.
Having no religion is impossible in the public realm as the system forces one to adopt a religion.
Even in supposedly secular institutions like the hospital, patients are required to declare their religion so much so that followers of certain religions have been denied services at some clinics. Bank customers are required to declare their faith before they can open an account.
Despite constitutional guarantees, followers of minority religions often face social resistance and sometimes even violence. It must be worse for those whose faith does not belong to one of the six official religions.
They face discrimination, some institutionalized into policy. They tread on thin ice if they express their belief.
The 1965 Blasphemy Law makes them liable to criminal prosecution if their statements or behavior are considered offensive by the majority religions. We have seen the emergence of radical religious groups who torment and harass people of other faiths or people of the same religion who oppose their ways.
Most people appear to have accepted this requirement to choose one of the recognized religions as normal and even a good thing. They fail to see this as a form of oppression of the true religious freedom. Thanks to the political, social and cultural systems, they mistake religious obligation for religious freedom.
Using the US standard test of freedom, Indonesia falls into the category of countries with restricted religious freedom. Pew Research Center gives Indonesia a red mark for religious freedom and human rights protection.
Indonesia is also placed high among countries with the most cases of religious violence and persecution.
So should Indonesia work toward total religious freedom such as that in the US? Religion is also tied a social segregation and discrimination.
Even in the US, many followers of minority religions face discrimination and persecution. The most obvious example is the growing Islamophobia in the US.
A roundtable on this topic would allow political and religious leaders to reflect on the boon and bane of religious freedom.
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The writer lectures at the Indonesia Catholic University of Saint Paul Ruteng, Flores, East Nusa Tenggara. She participated in the July 16-18 Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom in Washington, DC, as a member of the Professional Fellows on Demand supported by the US, organized by World Learning.
