President Joko Widodo is set to sign a presidential regulation that minority groups in Muslim-majority Indonesia hope would ease requirements to set up their places of worship.
The new law will replace two 2006 decrees passed by the religious affairs minister and home minister that have been blamed by minority groups for introducing tough conditions for the establishment of a church, temple or mosque for the minority Ahmadiyah Muslim group.
Under the decrees, proposers for a planned house of worship must produce a letter of support from at least 60 people living near the site, with the names confirmed by the village chief. Names and copies of identity cards of at least 90 worshippers who will be using the new facility also need to be submitted and verified by the village chief.
Before his second five-year term ends in October 2024, Jokowi is set to sign the new law, which officials said accommodates the changes that various religious groups have asked for.
A draft of the new law, which has been circulating since July, has not allayed worries that the tough conditions would remain in place.
Rights activists who have had discussions with officials say they do not think things will change much under the new law, according to the draft they have seen, as key elements of the 2006 decrees will likely be retained.
“From what we know, there was not much change in the draft as the previous conditions (that restrict minorities from building new worship facilities) remain,” said Halili Hasan, executive director of Setara Institute, a rights group focusing on democracy and religious intolerance issues. He was referring to a draft the group received in mid-July.
In response to queries, the presidential special staff in charge of legal affairs, Dini Purwono, said that the draft regulation is still being discussed.
“The substance will change, and perhaps quite significantly, from the current draft,” she said.
In a national coordination meeting with regional leaders on Jan 17, Jokowi said they should guarantee freedom of religion and worship in their communities as guaranteed by the Constitution. Around 87% of Indonesia’s 277.8 million population are Muslim.
In January, Setara Institute released a report based on data collected between 2007 and 2022 that revealed 573 cases of disturbances to worship and places of worship across Indonesia.
These included the stopping of worship, rejecting the presence of places of worship, and the intimidation of worshippers. — The Straits Times/ANN
