On January 6, Muslims in Indonesia’s West Java province staged a demonstration against a Christian revival service, which was also attended by Ministry of Religious Affairs staff.
Muslims from the Bandung city-based Ars Sunnah advocacy group brought a truck full of banners and loudspeakers to protest a service by the Indonesian Evangelical Reformed Church (Geleja Reform Indiri Indonesia, GRII) at the FX Surdirman Grand Ballroom in Bandung, the capital of West Java province.
“Today we took to the streets as Christians under the leadership of Mr. Stephen Tong held prayers for 2026,” a representative of the Islamic group said in a video of the demonstration. “We are not refusing worship. We are not prohibiting Christians from worshiping according to their beliefs. We are demonstrating because they are using a public facility, the FX Sudirman Grand Ballroom.”
As police guarded the venue, a representative from the al-Sunnah advocacy group claimed that the church was not allowed to use the building because the 2016 Three-Ministerial Decree and the 2006 Two-Ministerial Decree on Ethics Regarding Religious Broadcasting and the Establishment of Houses of Worship prohibit the “propagation of religious activities that deviate from the main teachings of Islam.”
The service was also attended by Gugun Gumiral, Special Officer for Religious Harmony, Monitoring and External Cooperation at the Indonesian Ministry of Religious Affairs, who later told the media that the right of Indonesians to worship must be upheld.
In the video, another protester can be heard shouting that the prayer service is an attempt to convert Muslims to Christianity.
Ahead of the protests, Islamic groups had sent a letter to the event organizing committee on the morning of January 6 opposing the service, a Facebook account calling itself Bukrohani posted, claiming that the morning and afternoon protests exceeded the legal time limit for demonstrations.
In a four-point statement, Ahlus Sunnah advocates denounced the “frequent involvement of Muslims” in the prayers, saying:
They believe this is a provocation and propaganda aimed at converting Muslims, which “does not specifically target Christians, openly invites citizens and the general public, and disseminates information through various media, both print and electronic, including public transport, private vehicles, banners, billboards, and electronic media.”
“Carrying out activities at Bandung University of Technology Ganesh Cultural Center for many years, especially without official permission from the police, is a violation of Police Regulation No. 7 of 2023.
“Worship services and Christmas celebrations are part of a series of religious events that must be held in places of worship or churches, as stipulated in Decree No. 2 of 2006 (Ministry of Religious Affairs and Home Affairs).”
According to TVOnenews.com, Gugun told reporters that his attendance at the prayer shows the government’s full determination to secure and preserve the right to worship for all Indonesian citizens in accordance with the constitution. Reported.
“Pastor Stephen Hong is also a national figure who has consistently promoted moral values, nationalism and a mature religious life,” Gugun was quoted as saying. “The Ministry of Religious Affairs wants to not only be present symbolically, but also to ensure that this religious activity is carried out smoothly.”
Bandung Mayor Mohammad Farhan confirmed Gugun’s claims.
“The Bandung City Government guarantees that all religious communities have the same right to worship,” Farhan was quoted as saying.
He said Bandung is an open city that upholds the values of diversity, and differences must be dealt with wisely and resolved through dialogue and deliberation.
In a podcast, the rights group Indonesian People’s Movement (PIS) said in a podcast that no court ruling has found such services illegal.
“In states where the rule of law governs, courts decide whether an activity is legal, not mass organizations,” PIS said. “All their accusations are clearly fabricated. In fact, large-scale religious gatherings, large-scale religious studies, national zikr (anniversary celebrations) and mawlid (festivals of the Prophet Muhammad) are also openly promoted through banners, billboards, social media, and public spaces.”
It said none of these activities were considered religious coercion.
“In Indonesia, there are no regulations prohibiting the publication of public religious events unless there is hate speech or coercion,” PIS said. “It is a false conclusion to equate the publication of events with apostasy.”
Santrawan Totone Paparan, chairman of the Greater Indonesia Christian Movement Legal Aid Association (Gerakan Kristen Indonesia Raya, Gekira), an affiliate of the Greater Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra), pointed out that the continued demonstrations against the service are illegal and violate the Constitution of the Unity of the Republic of Indonesia.
Contrary to protesters’ accusations that the venue was a public space, Santrawan insisted it was a special venue rented by the organizing committee.
“The Sudirman Ballroom is not a public space. It is a closed and legally rented space,” Sanlawan said, according to Portal-komando.com. “There is no legal basis for the refusal based on the pretext of using public facilities.”
Mr. Santrawan said freedom of religion and worship is a constitutional right enshrined in Article 29 of the 1945 Constitution. No group in society has the authority to restrict or interfere with the practice of worship of another religion.
“Freedom of religion is subject to the 1945 Constitution and not to a joint two-ministerial decree or a joint three-ministerial decree,” he said. “In the hierarchy of laws and regulations, the Joint Ordinance is far below the 1945 Constitution, so it cannot conflict with the Constitution.”
Santrawan pointed out that the soon-to-be-enforced new Penal Code (KUHP) will criminalize any act that disrupts, disrupts, or threatens religious worship.
“The new penal code emphasizes that it is a crime to disrupt or disrupt religious worship,” Santrawan said. “There is no longer any room for justification based on public pressure, unilateral interpretation, or administrative pretexts.”
According to Open Doors, Indonesian society has taken on a more conservative Islamic character in recent years, putting evangelistic churches at risk of becoming targets for Islamic extremist groups.
