Disputed Churches in Indonesia
“Places of worship have become a topic of much dispute around the world in recent years”, said Dr Melissa Crouch at the launch of a new report at the Melbourne University Law School on June 26. “Examples are the Swiss ban on minarets in 2009 and the 2010 Ground Zero mosque dispute in New York city,” she added.
Her talk focused on a report entitled “Disputed Churches in Jakarta”, published in Indonesian by the Center for Religious and Cross- Cultural Studies of Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta and translated into English by the Melbourne Law School.
Indonesia has witnessed a significant increase in attacks on churches since the fall of the Suharto regime in 1998. An average of fifteen such attacks occurred each year between 1968-98, but a staggering 232 churches were damaged or destroyed between 1999-2001 alone.
The new report is based on extensive fieldwork by Indonesian researchers from the Jakarta-based Paramadina Foundation’s Research Team into controversies. It particularly considers disputes relating to the construction of churches in Jakarta and the surrounding areas.
Between 1969-2006 the method of obtaining permits for new houses of worship was vague, said Dr Crouch. “The decision was largely left up to the village head. But under pressure of the increasing attacks on churches, in 2006 the Indonesian government introduced a new Joint Regulation 8 & 9.”
This allowed for the creation of an Inter-Religious Harmony Forum, including representatives from Indonesia’s six official religions. Dr Crouch explained further that “accompanying this new body was the 90/60 requirement, stipulating that 90 supporting signatures were needed from the community constructing the new house of worship, with a further 60 supporting signatures needed from other religious groups in the area.”
The Report’s findings
Interviews were held at fourteen different Catholic and Protestant church locations in Jakarta. The report identified the churches according to several categories.
First were churches experiencing no disputes over their establishment. Only one church fell into this category, a church located within an Indonesian Army settlement base
The second category applied to churches that had resolved disputes. Six fell into this category, such as St Michael’s Catholic Church, which had a membership of 10,000. Church leaders had obtained the necessary government permit but the community was subsequently put under pressure by the local Islamic community, with mosque sermons being very critical of the new church. The church leadership reached out to the Muslim community leaders, relationships flourished and the problem was resolved.
A further category relates to those churches encountering ongoing opposition to their construction. The GKI-Yasmin church in Bogor had been given approval to build that was subsequently cancelled by the local mayor. The church won on appeal but the mayor is still refusing to recognize the court decision and the valid permit. Local police complicity has resulted in a stalemate. Dr Crouch added that “it is important to note the support that the church has received from the local traditionalist Muslim group, the Nahdatul Ulama,” in opposition to more militant Islamic opposition.
The report identified a fear of Christianisation as a key factor among Muslim communities opposing church construction. It also highlighted the complicit role of local bureaucracies, with many government officials bowing to pressure from Islamist militant groups such as the Islamic Defenders Front.
The report can be freely downloaded at http://www.law.unimelb.edu.au/melbourne-law-school/news-and-events/news-and-events-details/diaryid/6115
This article first appeared in "The Melbourne Anglican", August 2012, p5
Her talk focused on a report entitled “Disputed Churches in Jakarta”, published in Indonesian by the Center for Religious and Cross- Cultural Studies of Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta and translated into English by the Melbourne Law School.
Indonesia has witnessed a significant increase in attacks on churches since the fall of the Suharto regime in 1998. An average of fifteen such attacks occurred each year between 1968-98, but a staggering 232 churches were damaged or destroyed between 1999-2001 alone.
The new report is based on extensive fieldwork by Indonesian researchers from the Jakarta-based Paramadina Foundation’s Research Team into controversies. It particularly considers disputes relating to the construction of churches in Jakarta and the surrounding areas.
Between 1969-2006 the method of obtaining permits for new houses of worship was vague, said Dr Crouch. “The decision was largely left up to the village head. But under pressure of the increasing attacks on churches, in 2006 the Indonesian government introduced a new Joint Regulation 8 & 9.”
This allowed for the creation of an Inter-Religious Harmony Forum, including representatives from Indonesia’s six official religions. Dr Crouch explained further that “accompanying this new body was the 90/60 requirement, stipulating that 90 supporting signatures were needed from the community constructing the new house of worship, with a further 60 supporting signatures needed from other religious groups in the area.”
The Report’s findings
Interviews were held at fourteen different Catholic and Protestant church locations in Jakarta. The report identified the churches according to several categories.
First were churches experiencing no disputes over their establishment. Only one church fell into this category, a church located within an Indonesian Army settlement base
The second category applied to churches that had resolved disputes. Six fell into this category, such as St Michael’s Catholic Church, which had a membership of 10,000. Church leaders had obtained the necessary government permit but the community was subsequently put under pressure by the local Islamic community, with mosque sermons being very critical of the new church. The church leadership reached out to the Muslim community leaders, relationships flourished and the problem was resolved.
A further category relates to those churches encountering ongoing opposition to their construction. The GKI-Yasmin church in Bogor had been given approval to build that was subsequently cancelled by the local mayor. The church won on appeal but the mayor is still refusing to recognize the court decision and the valid permit. Local police complicity has resulted in a stalemate. Dr Crouch added that “it is important to note the support that the church has received from the local traditionalist Muslim group, the Nahdatul Ulama,” in opposition to more militant Islamic opposition.
The report identified a fear of Christianisation as a key factor among Muslim communities opposing church construction. It also highlighted the complicit role of local bureaucracies, with many government officials bowing to pressure from Islamist militant groups such as the Islamic Defenders Front.
The report can be freely downloaded at http://www.law.unimelb.edu.au/melbourne-law-school/news-and-events/news-and-events-details/diaryid/6115
This article first appeared in "The Melbourne Anglican", August 2012, p5