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Data from eskol.net shows how low tolerance level inter-religion people in Indonesia. According to the data, churches has
closed or destroyed since the era of President Soekarno, there are 960 churches closed or destroyed. In period 1996 up to
October 2004 amounting 719 buildings. Those-which have recorded-not including closed churches without reported to eskol.net.
In period 1995-2004, 236 churches in East Java, in Maluku 181 churches, and East Java 137 churches, with the highest average
in the era President Abdurrahman Wahid 11.048 church per month. In a period of President Megawati Sukarno Putri, 114 churches
closed or destroyed or burned. It means about 2,92 churches have closed or destroyed or burned per month.
We hope the government in the era of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono can bring peace situation for every religion.
We hope he can eliminate the discrimination for every religion.
The closing can be caused by various reasons. There is closed church because they have no building permit or impinge government
ordinance, there is also because the citizens pressure the local government to close the church. Generally, church destroyed
by the mass, some from the citizens around the church, or from the outsider. The damage from small damage till combustion
of church, and sometime there is maltreatment to the priests and church workers.
Till now, many Christians live above under pressure and threat from others on behalf the organizations or citizens. Some
cases have been cleared after performed meeting, which linked by local government or NGO. But, mostly the cases have not cleared.
So, the Christians still live in dangerous situation.
Lately, churches are easy to closed or damaged. Generally, the reason used is no permit for church service (based on SKB
Minister of Internal & Minister of Religion No. 1/1969 about the permit to build.). This is the instrument of legal, which
always used by the destroyer. This is clearly a discrimination form and pressure to freedom about religious services.
Besides, the Indonesian Mubaligh Association (Ikatan Mubaligh Seluruh Indonesia) prohibited the Christian to use the name
of ALLAH, and there is abduction to a priest of Indonesia Evangelical Methodist Church Bandung by five people.
Recently, in a meeting between Gus Dur and Ciledug citizen about Sang Timur Foundation, Gus Dur told a statement to the
citizens who closed the Foundation, that the Christian should have opportunity to build a church building. But, the citizens
were jeering him. So, Gus Dur left that meeting.
This is really tragic, a nation with the motto of Bhineka Tunggal Ika (Unity in Diversity) and have Pancasila (The Five
Principles) as a nation philosophy of life, in the reality have no ready to accept the differentiation. We can see how loud
they protest and demonstrate about US Army in Afganistan and Iraq, and accused that the conspiracy between Christian and Jews.
The other side, the just calm about the maltreatment to the Indonesia labor in Arabic. Even, the case of murder Rev. Susianti
Tinulele in Central Sulawesi, does not effect to them.
Those extreme attitudes in religious people are very menace life of state and nation. It does not make sense to understand
to assume the non-Moslem are the second level because their faith. We do not know until when this condition can be better.
Do we have to wait more victims again?
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