Christian leaders are urging the faithful to remain calm and avoid any "hostilities" that could further aggravate the problematic situation. Despite this, tensions are high and the situation could quickly explode into violence in response to the demolition of the Setu Church of the Protestant Huria Christian Batak Church. The church was located in Bekasi in the Indonesian province of West Java. The demolition took place late at night on the 21st, despite protests from the congregation who took to the streets to defend their church. The authorities chose to ignore the arguments of the Christian minority and - after months of tug-of-war - destroyed a church that had hosted services every weekend for 13 years.
The authorities in Bekasi defend that the demolition is legitimate because the church did not have the proper building permit - the infamous IMB (Izin Mendirikan Bangunan). The process of building a church in Indonesia is complicated and it can take five to ten years to obtain all the proper permits. The letter granting permission to open a construction site is issued by the local authorities. The process is even more complicated if you want to build a church. Then the authorization to construct the building must be approved by a majority of local residents and the local interfaith dialogue group. Often, "unspecified reasons" come into play that cause officials to delay the process due to pressure from radical Islamic movements.
The Protestant Setu Church apparently does not have the necessary paperwork in order, even though representatives from the church have repeatedly applied for the approvals without receiving any response.
According to Setu Church sources, the demolition, which they call "a serious violation of religious freedom", is motivated by "political opportunism". There are frequent incidents caused by religious tensions and attacks on Christians in West Java, and now the situation is being exacerbated by political maneuvering ahead of the upcoming mayoral elections. In order to gain the support of the Muslim majority, especially the Islamic fundamentalists, politicians are attacking the rights of minorities, primarily Christians.
Pastor Leonard Nababan, leader of the HKBP in Bekasi, asks the faithful to remain calm and avoid violent incidents. At the same time, he promises to "do whatever it takes to defend the right to freely practice one's religion".
Now attention is turning to the Yasmin Church in Bogor, West Java, which is also in danger of being demolished, as happened in Bekasi.
Source: AsiaNews