JAKARTA - Vice President Ma'ruf Amin said that anyone who wants to build a house of worship in an area must comply with the rules of establishment in accordance with joint regulations.
This was conveyed by the vice president regarding the conditions in Maja sub-district, Lebak district where there is no church yet. As a result, Lebak Regent Iti Octavia Jayabaya asked Christians living in Maja District to worship Christmas in Rangkasbitung.
"There are already rules for the construction of houses of worship, there are rules and if there are rules, there should be no prohibitions, but if they have not been fulfilled, then they have not received a permit, so they can be in a closer area," said Vice President Ma'ruf in Semarang district, Central Java on Tuesday, December 27, as reported by Antara.
The regulation in question is the Joint Regulation of the Minister of Religion and the Minister of Home Affairs No. 9 and 8 of 2006 regarding the Establishment of Houses of Worship.
"It's not only for churches but also for mosques, it's the rule of all religions, all places of worship, it's the agreement of religious assemblies whose decisions are outlined in the form of Regulations of the Minister of Religion and the Minister of Home Affairs," said the Vice President.
The agreement, according to the Vice President, was made so that conflicts would not occur.
"So all agreed to do something like that, so the rules for determining agreements from religious assemblies, so for all religions, not only for Christianity, Hinduism, for Islam, it is the same as that in all regions, justice, so actually there is no need to be questioned like that," added the Vice President.
Lebak Regent Iti Octavia Jayabaya previously stated that the Maja sub-district head had previously notified permission requests from two Christian communities in Maja for Christmas services on December 18 and 25 at the Citra Maja Raya Eco Club or multipurpose hall.
However, Regent Ipi said there were protests and unrest from a number of residents because the shophouses were not intended for worship.
He also asked Christians in Maja District to pray Christmas at a church in the neighboring sub-district, namely Rangkasbitung, which is 20 kilometers away.
Referring to data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) of Maja Sub-district, there is indeed not a single church here, including temples and monasteries but there are 59 mosque buildings and 151 prayer rooms. Apart from Maja sub-district, in Cilegon City so far there is not a single church because there has been a rejection from local community leaders.
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