In Religion’s NameAbuses against Religious Minorities in Indonesia

Andreas Harsonowww.hrw.org/asia/indonesia

@andreasharsono

Indicators of Religious Violence• Setara Institute: 216 cases of violent attacks on religious

minorities in 2010, 244 cases in 2011, 264 in 2012, 230 in 2013.

• Communion of Churches in Indonesia: More than 430 churches have been attacked, closed down and burned down (2005-2010)

• Jemaah Ahmadiyah Indonesia: 33 Ahmadiyah mosques have been forced to close 2008-2012

• Pew "social hostilities index" involving religion: Indonesia is in the highest, ranks 15th out of 197 countries (2012)

Religious Composition (2010)Islam Protestant Catholic Hindu Buddhist Confucian

209 million 14.5 million 7.5 million 4.2 million 1.5 million 0.2 million

88% 6.1% 3.2% 1.8% 0.6% 0.1%

Discriminatory Regulations• Blasphemy law (1965) protects only six religions with 120

prosecutions (1998-2011). In 2009-2010, government defended the law at Constitutional Court.

• Ban on proselytizing (1978)• House of worship construction regulation (2006): 90

congregation members; 60 approval from majority; approval from Ministry of Religious Affairs; approval from Religious Harmony Forum

• Population Admin Law (2006) with only “religion” columns: Islam, Protestant, Catholic, Hindu, Buddhism, Confucianism

• Anti-Ahmadiyah decree (2008) max five years

Islamic Defenders Front militias demand ban of Ahmadiyah

Ahmadiyah couple marriage certificate in Cirebon

Perpetrators

• Mostly Sunni Muslim militants in organizations like the Islamic Defenders Front

• Also Sunni Muslim locals with backing, directly or indirectly, from government officials and police officers

• In Kupang, perpetrators are local Christians associated with GMIT reform church

State agencies facilitating discriminations

• Ministry of Religious Affairs (1946)• Indonesian Ulema Council (1948 in West Java,

1975 in Indonesia)• Coordinating Board for Monitoring Mystical

Beliefs in Society (Bakor Pakem) (1952 and legalized in 2004) – prosecuting religious minorities on blasphemy

• Religious Harmony Forum (2006)

Cikeusik attack in February 2011

• 21 Ahmadiyah men tried to defend their common house

• Attackers were more than 1,500 Sunni villagers and about 100 police officers stood by

• Verdict: 12 perpetrators were sentenced to 3-6 months jail term for assault

• An Ahmadiyah man was jailed 6 months for “disobeying” police order

Bahai men in Lampung prison with five years imprisonment

Politicians and Officials• Election times – many politicians used religious issues for

their campaigns• Local officials refuse to enforce court judgments

guaranteeing religious freedom including on constructing houses of worship

• Failures of law enforcement: judges, prosecutors, even police officers petitioned the government to ban Shia or to relocate churches

• Local government officials help militants, who take the law into their own hands, to close down houses of worships considered not following the regulation

Pentecost church in Rancaekek Bandung

Established in 1988 but when renovating in 2001 it was disputed. Rev. Benhard Maukar was jailed for three months for permit problem. Church was closed.

Churches in Aceh

Violence against Shia in Madura

In December 2012, the Shia madrassa and some houses were burned down. In August 2013, the Sunni militants evicted the Shia villagers from Nangkernang hamlet.

Shia Eviction from Sampang

A Shia mother cries when evicted from the Sampang stadium in June 2013 (left). Ali Karrar, a Salafi cleric, led the eviction (below).

“We feel that pure bred dogs are more valued in Indonesia. Dogs have their certificates. But we cannot ink the names of our children’s fathers on the certificates. Fathers have to adopt their own biological children.”

Dewi Kanti of Sunda Wiwitan

Freedom vs Harmony

• Indonesia’s 1945 Constitution: religious freedom• Indonesian Ulama Council, President SB

Yudhoyono and the Ministry of Religious Affairs: religious harmony

• In 1953, President Sukarno made an important speech: no majority-minority in Indonesia

• Yudhoyono exactly uses this majority-minority approach and the idea of dhimmies --minorities in Muslim dominated areas– protected but not equal

President Susilo B. Yudhoyono• In 2005: The Indonesian Ulama Congress: “… the tools of

the state can do their duty ... We must all take strict measures against deviant beliefs.“

• In 2006: Institutionalizing “religious harmony” in hundreds of regencies throughout Indonesia

• In 2009, speaking at Harvard University, talking about religious harmony is better than religious freedom

• In 2012: The UN General Assembly in New York, he is calling on the UN’s member states to adopt a legally binding instrument to ban blasphemy against religious symbols

President Joko WidodoFormer Jakarta governor, building infrastructure and popular

Won presidential election in July 2014 and became president in October 2014

No substansial statement on religious violence but repeatedly said he defends the Constitution