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Religious harmony index up but intolerance remains
This year’s score, which is in the range of 61 to 80, indicates that Indonesia is in “the high level of inter-religious harmony” even though the result is below 2015’s score. While the index has shown an improvement, some people still question the validity of the report.
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Hatred: These wooden crosses were pulled out of the ground at Bethesda Hospital’s cemetery in Yogyakarta. Some of the crosses were set on fire. (The Jakarta Post/Bambang Muryanto )
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n index indicating religious harmony in the country has shown an increase but officials and the public have doubted such a measure given the number of religion-related conflicts that continue to occur across the country.
The religious harmony (KUB) index for this year was 73.83 out of 100, an increase from last year’s score of 70.9.
The index was based on a national survey carried out by the Research and Development Agency (Balitbang) of the Religious Affairs Ministry from May to June, involving 13,600 respondents in all 34 provinces. It assessed perceptions of tolerance, equality and cooperation among people of different religions.
This year’s score, which falls within the range of 61 to 80, indicates that Indonesia is in “the high level of inter-religious harmony” even though the result is below 2015’s score of 75.36.
While the index has shown an improvement, some people still question the validity of the report.
Diah Pitaloka, a lawmaker from the House of Representatives Commission VII overseeing religious, social and women's affairs, doubted the score, saying it did not reflect the real situation as cases of religious intolerance had been getting more visible throughout the year.
“Do the results of the survey really reflect the current socioreligious situation in the country?” Diah told a panel discussing the survey results on Dec. 11.
