Indonesia : 200 violations against freedom of worship throughout 2009.
Government complicity’ lets religious conflict go on
("The Jakarta Post," January 28, 2010)
Jakarta, Indonesia - A damning report on freedom of worship in Indonesia
has blasted state agencies and government officials for complicity in
violating this fundamental right.
The Setara Institute for Democracy and Peace released Wednesday its Report
on the Condition of Religious and Faith Freedom in Indonesia, revealing 200
violations against freedom of worship throughout 2009.
The institute claimed state agencies had been involved in 139 of the cases —
101 of the cases saw “active” involvement by state officials, while the
38 others were by omission.
“Over the last three years, we have found that violations against freedom
of religion remain rampant,” Setara Institute chairman Hendardi said at a
press conference.
“This is mostly because the government is half-hearted in its upholding of
the right to worship.”
State institutions outed by the report include the police, which Setara
claimed were involved in 48 cases, the Religious Affairs Ministry (14 cases),
mayors (eight cases), regents (six cases) and courts (six cases).
“State agencies often prohibit certain groups from praying or building a
place of worship,” Hendardi said.
“We also found government officials discriminated against other groups,
prohibiting them from using public facilities.”
He added that in many cases of attacks by Muslim mobs on congregations of
other faiths, the authorities turned a blind eye and sided with the
offending majority.
An attack against supporters of the Ahmadiyah sect in Jakarta, for
instance, led to arrests of Ahmadiyah members, and not their attackers.
The police claimed they did this to protect the Ahmadis.
Setara also categorized 86 cases in their findings as crimes that should
have been dealt with by law enforcement officials.
The violators in 29 of these cases were the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI),
the hard-line Islam Defenders Front or FPI (nine cases), and the Forum of
Islamic Community or FUI (six cases).
“The Ahmadis remained the most persecuted community, falling victim in 33
separate cases during 2009,” Hendardi said.
“Christians were next with 12 cases, then followers of the Satria Piningit
Weteng Buwono sect with 10 cases.”
The number of cases last year was lower than in 2008, when Setara
highlighted 265 violations.
The most prominent case in 2008 was the attack on Ahmadiyah supporters by
the FPI and other hard-line Islamic groups at a pro-tolerance rally at the
National Monument in Jakarta.
In 2007, Setara recorded only 135 violations of freedom of
worship..........
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