Ulma Haryanto, Jakarta – How difficult is it to build a church in West Java? On Tuesday, church representatives explained just how frustrating the process could be, pointing out how obstacles put up by local administrations were compounded by pressure from mass organizations.
Risely Augustina, a member of the Batak Christian Protestant Church (HKBP) Pangkalan Jati Gandul, said that in 1997, the congregation applied for a permit to build a church in Bogor. But now, Pangkalan Jati Gandul falls under the jurisdiction of Depok, which has complicated things.
"In 1998, the permit was issued and we slowly started building. Out of the blue, at the end of March 2009, the Depok mayor issued a decree retracting the permit," Risely said.
"The decree cited objections from local residents grouped under the Cinere Muslim Solidarity Forum. The church was located in a housing complex, but the people who objected to the church came from outside."
Risely was speaking at a seminar at the Setara Institute for Peace and Democracy, at which representatives of four other churches explained how they too continued to face persecution and obstacles.
The other churches represented were the Church of Saint Mary in Purwakarta, the GKI Yasmin Church of Bogor, the HKBP Filadelfia in Bekasi and the HKBP Pondok Timur Indah.
Risely's church took its case to the State Administrative Court in both Bandung and Jakarta. Both courts ruled in favor of the HKBP Pangkalan Jati Gandul. The Depok administration appealed the rulings to the Supreme Court in July, but the appeal was thrown out.
Meanwhile, the Church of Saint Mary said it received a building permit in June 2009, but that it was retracted by the Purwakarta district head four months later.
"The statement mentioned insufficient signatures and objections from residents as the reasons for the retraction," Liona Supriatna, the lead legal counsel for the church, told the Jakarta Globe.
He said the church had collected 93 signatures from local households – more than the required 60 – and that the remote location of the church itself meant that it would not bother any residents. "We went through the correct legal procedures," he said.
"The church itself was located in an industrial district, two kilometers away from the nearest residential area and cut off by the Jakarta-Cikampek toll road."
The congregation is currently awaiting a decision from the State Administrative High Court. "At the court hearing, it was found that the people objecting to the church were not even local residents," Liona said, adding that the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) was behind the opposition.
Bonar Tigor Naipospos, deputy chairman of the Setara Institute, blamed the growing opposition on "small, mobile, puritan religious groups."
The Setara Institute recorded 28 violations of religious freedom in Indonesia between January and July this year, mostly against Christian groups but also some against members of the Ahmadiyah Islamic sect.