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Lengthy requirements, protests continue to challenge minority religions
Adherents of minority religions have found it difficult to meet requirements.
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Members of the Protestant church GKI Yasmin make a Christmas tree from sticks to celebrate Christmas in front of the State Palace in Central Jakarta . (The Jakarta Post/Wendra Ajistyatama)
T
he year 2019 saw adherents of minority religions continue to struggle to exercise their beliefs, including as they tried to establish places of worship in many areas of the country.
The issue was raised again over Christmas when Christians in West Sumatra were banned from holding Christmas service and followers of Assemblies of God Church (GSJA) in Jambi had to celebrate Christmas outside of their sealed church.
But those were not the only incidents to take place in 2019.
In January last year, locals in Griya Martubung, Labuan district, Medan, North Sumatra held a demonstration against a house in their neighborhood being used to accommodate a Bethel Church of Indonesia (GBI) congregation.
A similar event occurred in Indragiri Hilir regency, Riau, when a group of people proposed a petition to reject the establishment of a church, managed by Pentecostal Church of Indonesia (GPDI), in their neighborhood because they were “uncomfortable” with the presence of the church.
Despite these cases, the government has repeatedly claimed that the relationship among people from differing religions in Indonesia has improved as the 2019 inter religious harmony index (KUB), compiled by the Research and Development Agency (Balitbang) of the Religious Affairs Ministry, sits at 73.83 out of 100, an increase from the previous year’s score of 70.9.
Root of the problem
