Indonesia, a local official in East Borneo, refused to approve the construction of the church building, despite the congregation meeting all requirements for permits, sources said.
In Samarinda, the capital of East Borneo, the Samarinda Ministry of Religion Bureau refused to provide a recommendation to the Toraja Christian Church in Sungai Keredan, a district of Samarinda Seberan. The church has been seeking permission for 10 years.
“Oh, my God… how can people worship when we make it difficult?” PI is listed on its website. “What other reasons do the office of the Ministry of Religion refuse to provide recommendations?
The congregation spent 10 years applying, obtaining 90 names and ID cards approved by local officials, approved by 60 local people and village chiefs, and the recommendation of the local interfaith forum last September.
Hendra Kusma, chairman of the East Kalimantan Alliance for the Defence of Religion and Confessions, accused the government of fearing religious intolerance Muslim groups rather than enforce rules, the PI said.
“They are even more afraid of the few who reject the existence of the church, despite the state guaranteeing freedom of religion and worship,” Hendra told Kaltimtoday.com.
Hendra said authorities are changing liability, as happens in many parts of Indonesia.
“We visited all the relevant parties, even in the Ministry of Religion, but they still had the district chief decide,” Hendra said. “No one is brave enough and solid enough to solve the problem.”
The church also received construction recommendations from the Samarinda branch of the Interfaith Forum (Forum Kerja Sama Umat Belagama, or fkub).
Members of the congregation who go under Elizabeth’s single name said they regretted that their church’s rights had been violated.
“We just want to build a church for worship,” Elizabeth told viva.co.id. “We all have the right to accept our own religion and worship in our own place of worship. Our rights should still be granted according to the law.”
According to Kaltimviva.co.id, officials from the Ministry of Religion in Rami’s single name said a small number of people are blocking the construction of church buildings, especially as they want to avoid conflicts during Ramadan.
“I don’t want to have a problem,” Rahami said. “There is fear that it can cause unnecessary things, especially during the month of Ramadan, but that doesn’t mean you don’t want to issue them.”
While visiting the Samarinda Ministry of Religion on March 5, Hendra told Radar.samarinda.com that his group was disappointed and that after the publication of the FKUB recommendation, the Ministry of Religion must issue a letter of recommendation within 30 days.
According to Kaltimtoday.com, the East Kalimantan Alliance appealed to the Samarinda City Government, along with Mayor Samarinda’s aide to the Samarinda City Government.
In addition to committing to approach relevant officials at all levels, including those blocking construction, the idea of moving worship buildings elsewhere has surfaced.
“There was a discourse relocating the church. I refuse to disseminate it even if it happens,” Hendra said. “The (current) lot of the church has a certificate of ownership of the Tlaya Church.”
Jakarta-based lawyer Peter Celestine said that state and/or Samarinda officials in this case did not provide equal guarantees to all religious communities.
“It is opposed to Article 29 of the 1945 Constitution that states that the state ensures that each resident has the freedom to accept their own religion and worship according to their religion and belief,” Celestine told Morning Star News in a text.
Celestine, a legal team for the Indonesian Democratic Struggle (Partai Demokrasi Indonesia Perjuangan, or PDI-P), one of Indonesia’s biggest political parties, said religion and freedom to accept worship must be supported.
“However, it is unfortunate that our country still adopts discriminatory attitudes to make the constitutional provisions that guarantee the right of each residents to accept religion,” Celestine said. “People need a place to hold worship, but that’s been made difficult. Here, the state, especially the city government of Samarinda, is not honest with its residents, and this is unfair because it violates the constitution and human rights.”
Indonesian society adopts a more conservative Islamic character, and churches involved in evangelical outreach risk being targeted by Islamic extremist groups, according to the Christian support group’s Open Door.
