Indonesia: The right to build mosques and churches

The mosques and churches belonging to minority groups are then further discredited, while some of the perpetrators are roaming free and looking for vulnerable people who can be turned into radicals. Through the public media, schools and mosques, the younger generation can become the prey of radicals.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch |
Source/Credit: The Jakarta Post
By Al Makin, Yogyakarta | October 15, 2010

Mosques and churches, in which believers pray to God for a happy life in this world and salvation in the world to come, can also cause tension and conflict. In this archipelagic country — with a boast-worthy diversity of ethnicities, faiths, ideologies, political parties and social organizations — mosques and churches of minority groups are under attack.

Ahmadiyah’s mosques and the churches of the Batak Protestant Church (HKBP) in Bekasi are cases in point. Ironically, those who attacked those places of worship, such as the FPI (Islam Defenders Front), also pompously voiced their disagreement in public statements. They question the rights of minorities to build places of worship that they perceive as a threat to their mosques.


Worse still, the government, e.g., the religious affairs minister, makes that disagreement its main concern and shields the mosques of the majority — which are in fact “safe and sound” as nobody dares to disturb them.

The mosques and churches belonging to minority groups are then further discredited, while some of the perpetrators are roaming free and looking for vulnerable people who can be turned into radicals. Through the public media, schools and mosques, the younger generation can become the prey of radicals.

True, some, such as Abu Bakar Ba’asyir and those who stabbed the HKBP leaders, were jailed for their roles in spreading hate, causing disorder and breaking the law. However, their ideologies are far from diminishing in this country.

Nevertheless, you may wonder why the “majority” is so scared of the “minority”. Common sense and logic are turned upside down. Who is intimidating whom? Who are the perpetrators and who are the victims? The minority or the majority? Which one is increasing? Mosques or churches? Ahmadiyah’s mosques or the Muslim majority’s mosques?

Throughout history, the diversity of this country has been palpable. Evidence can be seen in the remaining sanctuaries in Indonesia, Hindu and Buddhist temples scattered throughout many cities. Most of these places of worship — such as many of the old churches in Europe that attract tourists with their photo-ready exotic sculptures — no longer function.

Certainly, Hindu and Buddhist temples were built much earlier than mosques and churches, where believers are still coming to listen to preachers’ words.

What is also obvious is that the number of majority Sunni Muslim mosques is noticeably increasing. In 1997 the Religious Affairs Ministry recorded 392,044 mosques. In 2004 the number was 643,834. Now the number has likely doubled or tripled.

“Nevertheless, you may wonder why the ‘majority’ is so scared of the ‘minority’. ”

The increase in the number of mosques can be felt whenever you visit an Indonesian city — provincial, district, or subdistrict — you will find a new mosque with a shiny dome.

Mosques dominate many cities’ landscapes. In front of the Prambanan temples in Yogyakarta a mosque stands mightily. In the heart of Pekalongan, Central Java, a large mosque was built in front of an old church. Mosques are also found in malls, schools and other public places. Remember that before the 1990s, mosques were not as numerous as they are now.

Yet there is no evidence to suggest there is significant growth in the number of mosques belonging to minority groups, e.g. Shiite, Ahmadiyah, Tarekat and other Muslim minorities.

Nor is there a significant rise in the number of churches in Indonesia, such as those of Roman Catholics, Protestants, Eastern Orthodox, and others.

Why are many so anxious about the construction of places of worship other than their own? Clearly the idea that there is an increase in faiths other than Sunni and rising missionary activities is mythical.

Many scholarly studies have shown this. However, the anxiety and the spread of the myth are not fairytales. They are real.

Keep in mind that the Sunni majority can build a mosque anywhere they choose, any time they want, in any form they desire and without special permission from any authority or the government, even though minority groups are required to obtain permission before building their places of worship. The number of mosques and churches demonstrates this.




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