Indonesia grapples with lack of religious freedom: ‘I think how difficult it is for people to worship. It’s sad’
- President Joko Widodo has had to remind regional leaders that the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation is home to five other recognised religions
- It comes as Christians in Indonesia plea for the government to ‘have pity on us’ after reporting harassment while trying to worship, build a church
Widodo’s sudden attention to religious freedom is being welcomed by rights activists and victims of religious intolerance, although they have warned that discrimination will persist if Jakarta does not revoke a problematic 16-year-old ministerial decree that has complicated minority group’s attempts to build places of worship.
In remarks to regional leaders, Widodo, who has mostly focused on infrastructure and investments since being elected leader in 2014, said that Indonesia’s constitution guarantees freedom of worship to all six state-recognised religions – Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism
“Regarding freedom of worship and freedom of religion. [You have to] be mindful. Those who are Christians, Catholics, Hindus and Confucians … have the same right to worship. They have the same rights in terms of freedom of religion and worship,” Widodo said on Tuesday.
“Religion and worship are guaranteed by our constitution, guaranteed by the 1945 Constitution Article 29, paragraph 2. You must know this. The police chief, the regional police chief, the regional commander must understand this, as well as the prosecutor’s office. Don’t let the constitution be defeated by agreement[s].”
Widodo was referring to the fact that rights are sometimes trumped by agreements forged by Indonesia’s religious majority under the Religious Harmony Forum, or FKUB, a community-level, multi-religion body overseen by the government to maintain religious harmony. Its tasks include providing recommendations to local governments on the building of new houses of worship.