An Indonesian village is blocking the establishment of a church, despite claims from church leaders that all legal requirements have been met in the predominantly Muslim nation.
Locals in the village of Sungai Keledang, Samarinda Seberang district in East Kalimantan, hung banners protesting efforts by the church to gain a licence and said that they rejected the establishment of a church in the village.
Hendra Kusuma, chairperson of the National Alliance for Freedom of Religion and Belief (AKKBB) in East Kalimantan and the legal counsel for the Sungai Keledang Toraja Church, told International Christian Concern that this was the third time such banners had been displayed.
“We deeply regret this … This is a form of symbolic intimidation that continues to repeat itself. In fact, from a legal and administrative perspective, we have complied with all applicable provisions," Kusuma said.
Kusuma said that the church has a letter of recommendation from Indonesia’s Interfaith Harmony Forum, as well as from the Samarinda City Ministry of Religion. In addition, the church has a letter of support from 80 local residents, meeting the minimum requirements needed under regulations surrounding the establishment of new religious buildings.
The church has around 90 active members. Kusuma has suggested an open dialogue between the congregants and their non-Christian neighbours, in the hope that a reasonable solution can be reached.
“I also want to hear from the parties who reject it what are the reasons behind the rejection of the establishment of this church house of worship," Kusuma said. "Because all the requirements have been met, hopefully, the government or the DPRD can facilitate this later.”
In East Kalimantan the vast majority of the population are Muslim, with nearly 12 per cent being Christian, mostly Protestant, but with a significant number of Catholics among them. The figures are broadly the same as the rest of Indonesia.
