Ulma Haryanto & Zaky Pawas – The National Commission on Human Rights will conduct a special investigation into the recent spate of vandalism targeting places of religious activities, including schools and churches, an official announced on Sunday.
"We will launch an investigation into these regrettable incidents once we finish the report on the Koja riot that's due on Tuesday," Nurcholis, deputy chairman of the commission known as Komnas HAM, told the Jakarta Globe.
"We're going to record all incidents, locations, causes, estimated losses, casualties if any, and then we're going to look into how administrative problems, such as acquiring licenses and related policies, fit in.
"The investigation will also involve the Ministry of Religious Affairs, the Ministry of Home Affairs and the police."
Komnas HAM also urged the Ministry of Religious Affairs to initiate a dialogue with community organizations. "These organizations play a very important role, since grass-roots miscommunication can easily lead to mob violence," Nurcholis said.
Weeks after the attack on an unfinished retreat for a Christian education foundation in Cisarua, Bogor, a Catholic school in Jatibening, Bekasi, was vandalized by a mob on Thursday night.
"The mob was allegedly incensed by a Web blog disparaging Islam on behalf of the St. Bellar-minus Catholic school," Bekasi Police Chief Sr. Comr. Imam Su-gianto said.
The blog was discovered by the school's foundation two weeks ago and reported to the police soon after. The case was taken over by the Jakarta Police cybercrimes unit, and is still under investigation.
"It's difficult for us to look into because the blog has been removed," said the head of the unit, Adjutant Sr. Comr. Tommy Winston Watuliu. The attack took place at midnight, Imam said.
"About 12 people, armed with sticks, stormed the school and destroyed the building and some of its facilities," he said.
The three security guards at the scene said the attackers came on foot, and most wore shorts. "They were also heard cursing," Imam said.
Also in Bekasi, the congregation of the HKBP Filadelfia Church had to hold Sunday services on the roadside yet again after their church was sealed two months ago.
"We have been praying beneath the sky for almost five months now," Father Palti Panjaitan said.
The congregation has 500 members and was formed 10 years ago, he said. "We used to hold prayers at members' homes, but the local residents objected to it."
They then bought a shop-house for their services, but again met with protests.
"In 2007 we built a makeshift church on land we bought in Jejalen Jaya village," Palti said. "The former landowner approved and we had the consent of the neighborhood to build a church there."
However, the request for a building permit was never processed by the Bekasi administration, Palti said.
"Last December, we got a letter from the administration forbidding us from building a church there, citing a 1996 bylaw on permanent structures.
"All we had was a church made of plywood and tarpaulin. It wasn't a permanent structure," Palti said. "Plus they cited the law covering homes and other structures, not on religious activities."
Church members continue to be terrorized by a group calling itself the National Muslim Communication Forum. "After they [Bekasi authorities] sealed off our church, we held our services on the sidewalk, but nobody protested, which was weird," Palti said.
The congregation is suing the Bekasi administration for negligence. "We had our second hearing on Friday, and will have another this week," Palti said.