Opposition has emerged to a proposal by Indonesia’s Ministry of Religious Affairs to do away with the role of a Muslim-dominated body that has complicated efforts by minority religions to build houses of worship.
Indonesia’s vice president last week warned against the effort to end the role of the Muslim-dominated Interreligious Harmony Forum (Forum Kerukunan Umat Beragama, or FKUB). Vice President Ma’ruf Amin, whose term ends in October, told reporters on Aug. 7 that the minister of Religious Affairs should not have made the proposal.
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“The rule of establishing houses of worship is an agreement from religious councils,” he said, as reported by detik.com.
Ma’ruf Amin said the Ministry of Religious Affairs should review the basis for FKUB recommendations to establish houses of worship, saying ministry officials should listen to the parties who were involved in formulating the regulation.
“First, take a look at the reasons for what and why the regulation occurred – there are reasons why the regulation was made,” he said. “And listen to many opinions from those involved at that time.”
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Indonesia ranked 42nd on the Christian support organization Open Doors’ 2024 World Watch List of the 50 countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian. Indonesian society has adopted a more conservative Islamic character, and churches involved in evangelistic outreach are at risk of being targeted by Islamic extremist groups, according to the WWL report.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written and originally published by Morning Star News.
