The Challenges of Religious Freedom - an Indonesian Experience (original) (raw)
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The Challenge to Religious Liberty in Indonesia
2009
The widespread growth of faith-based social movements over the past two decades has convinced many observers of the significance of religious activism as a driving force behind social change in many parts of the globe. This is certainly the case in Indonesia—the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation and, since 1999, its thirdlargest democracy. Indonesian Islamic activists have recently received considerable attention from development organizations for encouraging participation in public policymaking, promoting government accountability, and otherwise contributing to democratic reform.
2015
This paper describes the challenges to nurture religious freedom in Indonesia due to the misrepresentation of the state’s roles. It discusses religious freedom based on the spirit of individual rights to practice religion (including not to embrace any religion). An analysis is started by proposing facts about the violence of religious freedom and some actual threats to religious freedom. Then, it is concluded with solution of two levels, namely reconstructing the relation between state and religion (public), and revitalizing the inclusiveness of religious pluralism in the people’s consciousness using Islam as its perspective. This is because religious freedom is still a great challenge for Indonesia both in the present and in the future. If we respond to the challenges wisely, the establishment and existence of religious freedom, peace, and inter-religious cooperation in this state is not impossible. Therefore, the prospect of religious freedom in Indonesia relies on the state’s and...
Proceedings of 1st International Conference of Law and Justice - Good Governance and Human Rights in Muslim Countries: Experiences and Challenges (ICLJ 2017), 2018
On paper, Indonesia adopts a neutral policy towards religion. It is widely upheld that Indonesia is neither secular nor religious (theocratic) country. The idea of freedom of religion is also explicitly guaranteed by its constitution, UUD 1945. This country further acknowledges and ratifies the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) that guarantees the freedom of religion. The ideal formulation of freedom of religion, however, does not stand on a firm ground. The violent attacks on minority groups and sects-especially on Ahmadis-become a real case in point where the issue of freedom of religion is really at stake in this country. In response to Ahmadis existence, the government released the 2008 joint Ministerial degree that ironically restricts the idea of freedom of religion. The government's policy towards the Ahmadis is responded differently by governors in provincial level. Some governors translate it as an entry point of banning the Ahmadis religious activities. This is the case with West and East Java provinces where the governors in both provinces have released a governor's instruction to outlaw all kinds of Ahmadis religious activities and propagations. The governor of Yogyakarta, however, stands consistently by suggesting the noninterventionist policies towards the Ahmadis. This paper seeks to analyse the complex issue of freedom of religion in Indonesia with special reference to the state's policies towards the Ahmadi community. It attempts at answering the extent to which the idea of freedom of religion is exercised in the public sphere. The preliminary assumption developed throughout the paper is that political "cohabitation" between the majority interests and those of the governing formal leaders as a result of democratization process can risk the freedom of religion among different religious communities and thus jeopardize the non-interventionist policy of the state towards religion.
JOURNAL OF INDONESIAN ISLAM
Religious intolerance and bigotry indeed is a contributing factor in social and political conflict including manifestations of terrorist violence. While freedom of religion is enshrined in Indonesia's Constitution, social practices and governmental regulations fall short of constitutional and international law guarantees, allowing institutionalised bias in the treatment of religious minorities. Such bias inhibits Indonesia's transition to a fully-functioning pluralistic democracy and sacrifices democratic ideals of personal liberty and freedom of expression for the stated goals of religious and social harmony. The Ahok case precisely confirms that. The paper examines the constitutional bases of freedom of religion, Indonesia's Blasphemy Law and takes account of the history and tenets of Pancasila which dictate a belief in God as the first principle of state ideology. The paper argues that the Indonesian state's failure to recognise the legitimacy of alternate theological positions is a major obstacle to Indonesia recognising the ultimate ideal, enshrined in the national motto, of unity in diversity.
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What happens when the complaint of the call to prayer is the basis for a judge's decision on a blasphemy case? This article discusses the impact of Meliana's sentence of a Buddhist who triggered a religious conflict in Tanjung Balai, North Sumatra, Indonesia. At that time Meliana, who only told her neighbors about the sound of the call to prayer that was louder than usual, was visited by residents and judged by the people at that time because it was deemed to have stained religion. Followed by the burning and looting temples in Tanjung Balai. This makes the Hindu-Buddhist religion in Tanjung Balai feel threatened. Given the case of Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (Ahok) which is substantially similar, things like this cannot be allowed remembering Indonesia is a country of religious pluralism. This article highlights the discussion about what Indonesian citizens should do and don't and also the analysis of the controversial Meliana's verdict by suggesting violence, radical actions, and persecution is not an exit of the issues that occured in Indonesia concerning religion tolerance.
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By emphasizing that individual religious freedom depends for its realization on complex social embeddings, the concept of institutional religious freedom provides an important corrective to conventional, individualistic approaches to religious freedom. The concept also helpfully complicates the investigation of religious freedom by encouraging analysts to recognize that different societal and civilizational traditions define religion itself in significantly different ways. Tensions such as these between different social definitions of religion and between different manifestations of institutional religious freedom have been a chronic feature of religious life in Indonesia since the establishment of the republic in 1945. This paper examines these legacies in the context of contemporary Indonesia, especially in light of ongoing disputes over the legal and ethical status of spiritual traditions (kepercayaan) long barred from full state recognition. The essay also explores the theoretic...
Ahmadiyah and the Freedom of Religion in Indonesia
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This article analyzes the violence and Joint Ministerial Decree against Jamaah Ahmadiyah Indonesia (JAI), especially relating to freedom of religion. It argues that Indonesia has ratified the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) which guarantees the freedom of religion. In addition, Indonesia has also passed laws regarding the freedom of religion such as those in the 1945 constitution. However, these legal foundations have failed to guarantee freedom of religion in Indonesia. The violence against JAI is the proof of this Not only did the government let the incidents occur, but it also issued a Joint Ministerial Decree condemning the activities of JAI. The situation was exacerbated by the fatwa> of the Council of Indonesian`Ulama> ' (MUI) which led to more attacks against JAI throughout the country. The article finds that the issuance of the decree was not based on need or legal basis but was an attempt to please radical groups in society.
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The Indonesian state has legal provisions of religious freedom contained in the constitution and its derivatives legislation. This article aims to discuss religious freedom in Indonesian legislation from the perspective of maqāṣid hifẓ al-dīn. This study is the result of qualitative research using a content analysis approach. From the results of the discussion, it is known that the freedom of religion in Indonesian legislation includes freedoms to choose belief (Belief in One Supreme God), to worship, and to express religion. These provisions are in line with hurriyyah al-'i'tiqād Ibn 'Āsyūr and al-ḥurriyyah fī al-dīn al-Zuhailī regarding freedom of worship but are not in accordance with al-Zuhaili's opinion about freedom of belief, an area of personal choice when one may choose to be religious or not. The contradiction occurs because all Indonesian citizens must believe in One and Only God as the first precept of Pancasila and make six religions as religions recognized by the State as contained in Presidential Decree No. 1/1965 (PNPS Act). Therefore, it is necessary to reconstruct the law and values of religious freedom contained in the PNPS Act, especially in its implementation.
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Religious harmony in Indonesia still necessitates special attention since a balance must be established among the country's six religions. From a political and legal standpoint, examining the Religious Harmony Forum's performance in sustaining religious harmony in Indonesia is vital. This study employed the normative juridical research approach. The statutory technique was adopted, and the library research method was the search system. According to the findings, encouraging religious unity through the Religious Unity Forum is vital in preventing religion from becoming politicized in Indonesia. Concerns are developing about the role of religion, particularly Islam, in coping with the growing prominence of extremist groups, notably by justifying religious politicization. As problems and policies concerning intra-and inter-religious harmony are improved Open Rubric