Presbyterian Church in Ireland - Mission Overseas - INDONESIA: An alarming increase in forced church closures

22nd September 2010

In recent months there has been an alarming increase in forced church closures in some Western regions of Indonesia, mostly in the Greater Jakarta area.

The most serious incident so far occurred last Sunday (13th September) in Bekasi, just to the east of Jakarta, when a church-goer was stabbed in the stomach and the female minister who tried to assist and take him by motorbike to the hospital was subsequently beaten with clubs. The stabbing victim remains in intensive care while the minister is still recovering from her injuries.

Prior to this incident, the Communion of Churches in Indonesia (CCI/PGI) had expressed its grave concern to the President that swift action should be taken based on the Indonesian Constitution which guarantees freedom of religion.

Police have now arrested a number of suspects in relation to the stabbing and have begun an investigation, while the President has expressed his concern and urged the commencement of dialogue on reaching a settlement on the disputed church building.

For many months now, the church in Bekasi, a congregation of Huria Kristen Batak Protestan (HKBP), the Batak Christian Protestant Church, has been holding its Sunday services in a field adjacent to their church building. This is because the building has been sealed by the local authorities.  Each Sunday, worshippers have been greeting by a hail of abuse from protesters. Although the church has received a licence from the government, local authorities claim that the licence was granted without first seeking the approval of the community.

This case is only one of many which appear to be orchestrated in part by the Islamic Defenders Front; an extremist organisation who wish to impose strict Sharia Law through regional administrations. The group is small but increasingly vocal and violent.  In one incident they forcibly closed a church in a housing development which was almost 80% Christian.

Indonesia has the world’s largest number of Muslims, most of them practicing a moderate and tolerant form of Islam. The population is also diverse with a significant number of Christians. The number of churches in the Greater Jakarta area has been growing rapidly spurred on by a steady increase in migration to the city from other, largely Christian, parts of the country.

Please pray for the Bekasi Congregation and particularly for the minister and church member who were attacked. Pray that the recent media attention will encourage a strong response from the government to uphold the constitutional rights of all Indonesians to worship freely and without fear or threat.

Events | Other News & Information