Ministry Of Religion Regrets Destruction Of HKBP Rengasdengklok Church: It's A Clear Violation Of The Law

Illustration (Photo by Enzo Boulard on Unsplash)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Religion regrets the attack on the house of the Huria Kristen Batak Protestant (HKBP) Rengasdengklok congregation in Amansari Village, Karawang, West Java. The Special Staff of the Minister of Religion for Tolerance, Terrorism, Radicalism, and Islamic Boarding Schools, Nuruzzaman said that this was a violation of the law.

"Damaging congregational homes, regardless of religion, is clearly not justifiable. This is a clear violation of the law," said Nuruzzaman from the Ministry of Religion's official website as quoted by the editorial, Monday, November 15.

According to him, destructive actions in solving problems should not occur. This action does not reflect the culture of the Indonesian people.

"All parties must try to maintain harmony. Issues that arise are resolved according to the rules, discussed with the relevant parties," he explained.

The man who is usually called Bib Zaman has asked the Head of the Karawang Ministry of Religion to take to the field with the local FKUB (Forum for Religious Harmony). The Head of the Karawang Ministry of Religion was also asked to report updates on the handling of problems that occurred and the steps taken to maintain religious harmony.

The Ministry of Religion also asked local governments to carry out their functions to maintain religious harmony in their respective regions. This is as regulated in the Joint Regulation of the Minister of Religion and the Minister of Home Affairs (PBM) No. 9 and 8 of 2006 concerning Guidelines for the Implementation of Duties of Regional Heads/Deputy Heads in Maintaining Religious Harmony, Empowering Religious Harmony Forums, and Establishing Houses of Worship.

Article 2 of the regulation stipulates that the maintenance of religious harmony is the joint responsibility of religious communities, regional governments, and the government. Meanwhile, Article 4 stipulates: (1) Maintenance of religious harmony in regencies/municipalities is the duty and obligation of regents/mayors; and (2) The implementation of the regent/mayor's duties and obligations, as referred to in paragraph (1), is assisted by the head of the regency/city religious department office.

"Let's all synergize with each other to maintain harmony, and prioritize dialogue in overcoming every religious issue," he said.

Previously, the Communion of Churches in Indonesia (PGI) had conducted cross-checks in response to reports that the house of a resident of the HKBP Rengasdengklok congregation in Amansari Village, Karawang, was attacked by a group of mobs, on October 29, 2021. PGI's findings are quite different from the accusations that led a group of people to take vigilante action.

PGI's Executive Secretary for Justice and Peace, Rev. Henrek Lokra, condemned the action.

"We have coordinated with the local church. The place is not a place of worship. And they are said to have never used the place to worship," said Henrek Lokra.

"But we usually coordinate to prepare ourselves for Sunday worship. So we just prepare, so we don't use it for worship," continued Henrek.

Rev. Henrek asked all parties to be able to build cooperation, better dialogue as fellow citizens of the nation, and encourage the local government to mediate and also facilitate if there is a permit to establish a place of worship, not only to the HKBP, but other places of worship in that region.