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We just want to inform that since 21st March, minority religion in Indonesia will find more difficulty in worshiping. The new regulation from joint agreement between Minister of Religion and Minister of Internal Affair brings new rules in building worship house (church, mosque, etc) and conducting worship in a place that is not worship house. Some of their regulation:
- To build a worship house, we must have 90 members from one area
(small district of a city, we call it kelurahan, consist only
arround 5000 peoples). As you know, that usually the Christian
membership tradition is different with Catholic or Moslem. Our
member scatter to every part of the city and meet in the religious
event. And every denomination in Christian have their own worship
house and membership. The Catholic are only have one denomination,
so every catholic will find the closest worship house from their
home. The moslem has some denomination, but their mosque are open
to every denomination, so all moslem in every region, without
seeing their denomination can enter the same mosque.
- To build a worship house, we must have 60 peoples that support
us besides our members. Quite difficult in some area that fill with
fanatics.
- If we can't build our worship house yet, we must ask permission
to worship in temporary place. To ask permission we must apply to
mayor and have recommendation from Inter-Religion Forum. The
problem is in getting recommendation because usually this Forum is
filled with the majority religion leader and officer from religion
department. So minority Christian like us, that reject common
doctrine must workhard to get recommendation from officer of
Christian matter and from majority religion (in Java, Moslem)
leader. But in some area we have a good relationship with moderate
moslem leader, may be we will only find difficulty with some
fanatics moslem leader.
That is some of the regulation. We will raise some dialogue with
the government. Not only us but some Christian denomination will
also with us to urge the revision to this regulation. May be 90
members in one city is ok. We can do that.
But that's a technical matter about this regulation. The most
important things ... the spirit of religious freedom. Chapter 29 of
our constitution guarantee our freedom in choosing religion and
worshiping. How can a lower regulation (minister regulation) fight
again the spirit of higher one (constitution).
Please distribute this matter to all friends from ICUU. Pray for
us, pray for our movement.
Thanks,
—Aryanto Nugroho
Publication Dept. and Youth Leader of JAGI
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