Fachrul Sidiq, Jakarta – Amid growing religious intolerance across the country, particularly against minority groups, the National Police have urged religious clerics and all relevant stakeholders to take tougher measures to help tackle bigotry.
National Police spokesperson Awi Setyono said the root causes of intolerance cases the police had handled were diverse but often included persistent rejection among certain groups to accept differences. He suggested that religious clerics use their influence in a greater capacity to tackle intolerance by providing a narrative that promotes acceptance.
"When it comes to issues on the protection of religious tolerance, everyone should get involved. It's not only the duty of the police," Awi said during a discussion held by the Wahid Foundation in Jakarta on Thursday.
He lamented the issuance of religious edicts deemed discriminatory against certain society groups. It was more important for religious clerics to back police actions in protecting the rights of minority groups.
National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) religion and faith freedom desk coordinator Jayadi Damanik said during the discussion that in recent years, cases driven by religious intolerance had consistently increased and the trend might continue if law enforcers enforced laws against minority groups only.
"In 2014 there were 74 cases, whereas in 2015 there were 87 cases. We have yet to compile the figure for 2016, but I can assure you the number is higher," Jayadi said, adding that the cases included tough restrictions in construction permit issuance for houses of worship and the forcing of someone to hold certain beliefs. (ebf)