In Indonesia, the government will relax the rules for the construction of places of worship
For Andreas Harsono, a researcher at Human Rights Watch, "the government is returning to the principle of freedom of religion guaranteed by the 1945 Constitution".
On June 5, the Indonesian government decided to relax the rules for the construction of places of worship. An announcement made by the Minister of Religious Affairs Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, a member of the largest moderate Islamic organization in Indonesia.
Since a decree of 2006, the government grants the building permit after obtaining a series of recommendations, in particular that of a body with a Muslim majority, the Forum for Religious Harmony (FKUB).
"Often the more recommendations there are, the more difficult it is", recognizes the minister, "We cannot deny it. (...) We can solve all the problems if we start with honesty, in particular by being honest with our religion"?
For Andreas Harsono, a researcher at Human Rights Watch, "the government is returning to the principle of freedom of religion guaranteed by the 1945 Constitution".
"In Jakarta, 83% of the 21 members of FKUB are Muslims. As a result, the decisions taken by the forum reflect a majority veto," he explains before adding, "based on data from several different institutions, I estimate that at least 1 churches have been closed or renovation projects have been cancelled. However, the number of mosques has increased from 000 in 243 to 000 in 2010 according to data from the Ministry of Worship."
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