Preventing Conflict, Ministry Of Religion Prepares House Of Prayer Special Regulations

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Religion (Kemenag) is preparing special regulations governing the existence and governance of prayer houses, which will serve as a joint guide so that incidents such as what happened in Sukabumi, West Java, do not happen again.

"The house of prayer in practice is often used as a place of worship, but does not have a clear legal umbrella," said Head of the Religious Harmony Center (PKUB) of the Ministry of Religion Muhammad Adib Abdushomad as reported by ANTARA, Wednesday, July 2.

A few days ago a group of residents vandalized a residential house that was used as a place of worship by a certain community in Sukabumi on June 27, 2025.

The Ministry of Religion considers it necessary to issue regulations because so far there have been no explicit arrangements regarding prayer houses in the Joint Ministerial Regulation (PBM) Number 9 and 8 of 2006.

PBM has been a reference for the establishment of places of worship in Indonesia. The PBM only mentions places of worship such as mosques, churches, temples, monasteries, and pagodas, but does not cover private or limitedly used prayer houses.

Adib stated that the term "house of prayer" is widely used in the community, especially among certain denominations for Christians. Meanwhile, this regulation does not yet exist. This has the potential to cause friction in the field if it is not immediately given legal certainty.

"This creates a dilemma, on the one hand it is a religious expression guaranteed by the constitution, but on the other hand, because the inter-conducted region of worship has an expression of intersecting and having an impact on the public sphere," he said.

Therefore, said Adib, there must be wisdom in its implementation and types of prayer houses do not yet have formal procedures that can be used as a reference.

According to him, the PKUB of the Ministry of Religion has conducted two Focus Group Discussions (FGD) with interfaith stakeholders, including elements of MUI, PGI, KWI, PHDI, PERMABUDHI, and MATAKIN, to explore the term house of prayer.

The results of the FGD confirm that the term is not uniform in use and is widely used by Barbaric and Evangelical Churches. The term is rarely used in Catholics and Christian denomitation such as Lutheran and Calvinis.

"That's why we are preparing a special regulation framework for prayer houses, so that their existence can be protected by law, as well as not causing misunderstandings in the community," he said.

Adib assessed that the incident in Sukabumi showed the urgency of this regulation. Based on a chronological report, the houses that previously served as corn and chicken farm production sites have been used for worship since April 2025.

Even though the head of the RT and the community had expressed their persuasive objections, religious activities were still being carried out, including the arrival of large groups with various modes of transportation which would certainly disrupt public spaces.

Tensions escalated and led to mass destruction on June 27, 2025 at noon.

"We regret the occurrence of violence in any form in the name of religious objections. This regulation is actually prepared so that every problem can be resolved in the corridor of law and dialogue, not spontaneous reactions that damage harmony," he said.

Regulations about houses of prayer that are being discussed will regulate several fundamental things, including definitions, classification, reporting procedures, mediation mechanisms, and the relationship between prayer houses and the surrounding environment.

"It is hoped that this regulation can be a solution in the midst of the dynamics of the people who are increasingly pluralistic religiously," said Adib.