Freedom of religion in Indonesia

The Indonesian constitution provides some degree of freedom of religion. The government generally respects religious freedom for the six officially recognized religions (Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism) and/or folks religion. All religions have equal rights according to the Indonesian laws.

Religious demography

According to the 2018 census, 86.7% percent of the population is Muslim, 7.6% Protestant, 3.12% Catholic, 2% Hindu, 1% Buddhist, <1% Confucianism, <1% other, and <1% unstated or not asked.

Most Muslims in the country are Sunni. The two largest Muslim social organizations, Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah, claimed 40 million and 30 million Sunni followers, respectively. There are also an estimated one million to three million Shia Muslims.

Legal framework

Article 29 of the 1945 constitution provides for freedom of religion, accords "all persons the right to worship according to their own religion or belief," and states that "the nation is based upon belief in one supreme God." The first tenet of the country's national ideology, Pancasila, similarly declares belief in one God. The government does not allow for not believing in God. Government employees must swear allegiance to the nation and to the Pancasila ideology. Other policies placed restrictions on certain types of religious activity, particularly among unrecognized religious groups and "deviant" sects of recognized religious groups.

Aceh remained the only province authorized by the central government to implement Islamic law (Shari'a), and non-Muslims in the province remained exempt from Shari'a. Aceh adopted a Shari'a based penal code imposing physical punishment for violations.

The Ministry of Religious Affairs extends official status to six religious groups: Islam, Catholicism, Protestantism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Confucianism. Unrecognized groups may register with the Ministry of Culture and Tourism as social organizations. Although these groups have the right to establish a house of worship, obtain identity cards, and register marriages and births, they sometimes face administrative difficulties in doing so. In some cases these challenges make it more difficult for individuals to find jobs or enroll children in school. Legally, identity card applications are now acceptable when the "religion" section is left blank; however, members of some groups reported that they sometimes faced obstacles.

The three decades long ban on freedom to organize was lifted from the Baháʼí Faith the year 2000, but the Baháʼí believers are not allowed to have outreach activities and must organize their meetings only within the Baháʼí community. Baháʼí is tolerated, but it is understood that it may not expand. Activities such as door to door transmission, events open for non-Baháʼís and spreading of brochures are forbidden. The website has repeatedly been switched off, and the Baháʼí center in Jakarta was abandoned during most of 2013 and 2014

Conflicts over minority houses of worship

The 2006 Revised Joint Ministerial Decrees on Construction of Houses of Worship, which has been criticized as unconstitutional, requires any group attempting to build a house of worship to obtain signatures from 90 potential members, 60 households of a different faith, and various local authorities.

Amnesty International reports that the Ahmadiyya community is increasingly targeted and at least four provinces issued new regional regulations restricting Ahmadiyya activities. By the end of 2011, at least 18 Christian churches had been attacked or forced to shut down. In addition, Shi'a Muslims are at increased risk of attack and are being pressured by anti-Shi'a groups to convert to Sunni Islam.

In addition to the Ahmadiyya, according to the Indonesian Communion of Churches and the Wahid Institute, local government officials and local communities forced the closing of at least 28 licensed and unlicensed churches during the reporting period. Many of the targeted churches operated in private homes and storefronts, and some churches moved their services to rented spaces in public shopping malls to lessen the potential of threats from hardline groups.

Examples of clashes:

*On the morning of 22 April 2012, around 100 members of the Filadelfia Batak Christian Protestant Church (HKBP) were prevented from going to their church to conduct the Sunday service. They were blocked by officers from the Bekasi municipal administrative police ( Satpol PP), North Tambun sub-district police and other local government officials, who tried to persuade them to move to a place around nine kilometres away. Unable to access the church, the congregation began to conduct their service by the road. Around 500 protestors who had gathered earlier near the church surrounded them, began threatening them and demanded that they leave. Some apparently tried to attack the worshippers, but were blocked by the police. The protestors only dispersed after more police officers arrived, and a municipal administrative police officer fired a shot in the air. The previous Sunday, protestors had also blocked congregation members from getting to the church, forcing them to worship by the road. Instead of dispersing or detaining the protestors who were threatening the congregation, the police tried to pressure the worshippers to leave the area. After the service, one of protestors threatened the church leader, saying, "You're finished if you try coming back!" Members of the congregation fear that without adequate police protection, they will be intimidated and attacked at future Sunday services.
*Taman Yasmin Indonesian Christian Church in Bogor

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