Indonesia Tier 2
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INDONESIA TIER 2 KEY FINDINGS Indonesia is often characterized as a model of majority-Muslim intensity, and experts believe many incidents go unreported. democracy. Yet in some parts of the country, discrimination and Non-Muslims and non-Sunni Muslims endure ongoing difficul- violence against religious minorities continue, often instigated ties obtaining official permission to build houses of worship, or inspired by hardline individuals and groups. The Indonesian experience vandalism at existing houses of worship, and are government often intervenes when abuses arise, particularly if subject to sometimes violent protests that interfere with their they involve violence; yet by many accounts, violations of the ability to practice their faith. In 2017, USCIRF again places freedom of religion or belief continue to rise and/or increase in Indonesia on its Tier 2, where it has been since 2004. RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE U.S. GOVERNMENT • Urge the Indonesian government at cen- • Offer technical assistance and guidance government and religious officials tral, provincial, and local levels to comply to the Indonesian government as it to mediate sectarian disputes, and with the Indonesian constitution and drafts legislation protecting religious enhance rule of law and build capacity international human rights standards by: freedom, as appropriate; for legal reform advocates, judicial • Overturning the 2008 Joint Ministerial • Raise in public and private with Indo- officials, and parliamentarians to better Decree on the Ahmadiyya community nesian officials the need to protect fulfill Indonesia’s obligations under and any provincial bans on Ahmadi Indonesia’s tradition of religious tol- international human rights law; and religious practice; erance and pluralism by investigating • Help to train Indonesian police and • Amending or repealing article 156(a) and prosecuting individuals or groups counterterrorism officials at all levels of the Penal Code and uncondition- who discriminate or incite or perpe- to better address sectarian conflict, ally releasing anyone sentenced for trate acts of violence against religious religion-related violence, and terror- “deviancy,” “denigrating religion,” or communities; ism, including violence against places “blasphemy;” and • Prioritize funding for governmental, of worship, through practices consis- tent with international human rights • Amending the 2006 Joint Regulation civil society, and media programs that standards, while ensuring those offi- on Houses of Worship to allow reli- promote religious freedom, counter cers have not been implicated in past gious communities the right to build extremism, build intra-faith and inter- human rights abuses pursuant to Leahy and maintain their places of worship faith alliances, expand the reporting Amendment vetting procedures. free from discrimination and threats; ability of human rights defenders, train U.S. COMMISSION ON INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM | ANNUAL REPORT 2017 www.USCIRF.gov | [email protected] | @USCIRF TIER 2 TIER INDONESIA BACKGROUND example, in West Papua, non-Muslims feel increasing Indonesia is the world’s most populous Muslim- pressure and discrimination from Muslims. Some majority country: more than 87 percent of its 258 Indonesians are concerned by what they perceive is the million people identify as Muslim. The majority of “Arabization” or “creeping Islamization” of the country’s Indonesia’s Muslims are Sunni, although up to three more pluralistic form of Islam. Hardline groups such million are Shi’a and up to 400,000 Ahmadis. Protes- as the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) and the country’s tant Christians make up 7 percent of the population, top Muslim clerical body, the Indonesian Council of Catholics approximately 3 percent, and Hindus less Ulema (MUI), have long held their own views of the than 2 percent. In some parts of the country, Chris- proper ways to practice Islam. This perspective shuns tians or Hindus comprise non-Sunni Muslims, the majority, which such as Shi’a Muslims and Ahmadis. Some means that even though Tensions ran high during the Muslims are the major- Indonesians attribute this last few months of the reporting period increasingly conserva- ity overall, in certain because of politically charged blasphemy areas they are in the tive, less tolerant brand accusations against Jakarta Governor of Islam to the growing demographic minority. Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama. Indonesia is secular and influence of Saudi Arabia, recognizes six religions: including that coun- Islam, Catholicism, Prot- try’s plans to expand its estantism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Confucianism. Institute for the Study of Islam and Arabic (LIPIA). Based Smaller segments of the population practice unrec- in Jakarta, Indonesia’s capital, LIPIA offers all-expense- ognized faiths, such as Baha’ism, Sikhism, Judaism, paid education to Indonesian students, which for some Falun Gong, and traditional belief systems. could lead to the opportunity to study in Saudi Arabia. Individuals of many faiths—even beyond the six But this Saudi-funded education adheres to strict, Salafi officially recognized religions—have the ability to prac- Islam, which considerably differs from the style of Islam tice, worship, and teach freely, although this varies from prevalent in Indonesia. province to province across Indonesia’s vast archipel- Tensions ran high during the last few months of the ago. Some religiously diverse neighborhoods have long reporting period because of politically charged blas- traditions of interfaith interaction and cooperation, and phemy accusations against Jakarta Governor Basuki the government is believed to be working on legislation “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama. (For more information, see intended to strengthen religious freedom, although the the Blasphemy section below.) Thousands of Mus- contents are unknown. Even so, throughout its history, lims, including hardliners, accused Ahok of insulting less tolerant attitudes have been present in Indonesia the Qur’an and staged several protests and rallies in and continue today in some parts of the country. For Jakarta. The Indonesian government urged calm and U.S. COMMISSION ON INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM | ANNUAL REPORT 2017 www.USCIRF.gov | [email protected] | @USCIRF TIER 2 TIER INDONESIA understanding and also respected the right of individ- faulty or missing permits or other regulation-related uals to protest peacefully. Furthermore, President Joko paperwork as justification to protest houses of worship “Jokowi” Widodo ordered additional security forces or to pressure local officials to deny or revoke permis- to maintain public order and deter violence. Promi- sions or close the structures. At times, mob violence nent Muslims, including from the two largest Muslim leads to significant property damage and displacement organizations, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammad- of affected religious communities, such as in 2015 at iyah, discouraged their members from participating Christian churches in Aceh Singkil District in Aceh and in protests. However, some critics blamed the new at a Muslim mosque in Tolikara, Papua. government for not doing enough to control hardline In July 2016, a mob attacked and burned down individuals and groups in the first place. At the end of several Buddhist temples and other property in North the reporting period, Ahok garnered the most votes in Sumatra. In recent years, closures of and threats Jakarta’s three-way gubernatorial election on February and attacks against Buddhist sites have occurred in 15, 2017, but failed to secure more than 50 percent of the other parts of the country. Reports indicated the July vote that would have prevented a second-round election violence may have started when a woman of Chinese in April. descent expressed her frustration at the loud micro- In 2016, Indonesia’s independent National Human phone volume from a nearby mosque. Police were Rights Commission, Komisi Nasional Hak Asaki Manu- able to prevent some of the attacks from spreading to sia (Komnas HAM), continued to focus on freedom of other structures, and authorities later detained seven religion or belief. In January 2017, Komnas HAM issued individuals and named several others as suspects. its findings of religious freedom violations for 2016. Kom- Muhammadiyah, Indonesia’s second-largest Muslim nas HAM found that some provinces, such as West Java, group, called for tolerance and calm after the incident, experience far more religious intolerance than others, and President Jokowi instructed the National Police to and that regional government officials often are respon- apprehend the perpetrators. sible for either tolerating or directly perpetrating abuses, an observation echoed by the Setara Institute, a local nongovernmental organization. In December 2016, NU In July 2016, a mob attacked and echoed the findings about rising religious intolerance. burned down several Buddhist temples RELIGIOUS FREEDOM CONDITIONS and other property in North Sumatra. 2016–2017 Forced Closures of and Violence against Religious Properties In April 2016, Muslim hardliners in Bekasi, West Local authorities and hardliners often rely on the 2006 Java, closed the Santa Clara Catholic Church only weeks Joint Regulation on Houses of Worship to deny or restrict after the new building opened. The previous month, parishioners’ access to houses of worship. Under the the local FKUB confirmed the validity of the church’s 2006 regulation, houses of worship are required to permit after many of these same hardliners prevented obtain