{"id":30652,"date":"2021-04-08T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-04-07T23:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/csw-yeo.1wp.site\/reports\/general-briefing-indonesia-5219\/"},"modified":"2026-09-23T19:36:00","modified_gmt":"2026-09-23T18:36:00","slug":"general-briefing-indonesia-5219","status":"publish","type":"reports","link":"https:\/\/www.csw.org.uk\/zh\/reports\/general-briefing-indonesia-5219\/","title":{"rendered":"General Briefing: Indonesia"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Introduction<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Indonesia, the world\u2019s largest Muslim-majority nation, has a long tradition of pluralism, freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) and inter-religious harmony, and is widely respected around the world for its successful transition from authoritarian rule to democracy. Rising religious intolerance, however, threatens to destroy these achievements and poses a threat not only to the country\u2019s religious minorities, but to all Indonesians who value democracy, human rights, peace and stability.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under current president Joko Widodo\u2019s administration there have been some positive changes. In November 2017 the Constitutional Court made it legal for indigenous faith groups to identify their faith on identity cards. This decision has been hailed by activists as a \u2018new chapter for religious freedom.\u2019 There has also been a decline in state-sponsored violations of FoRB. However, there continues to be growing religious intolerance in society, with religion a major theme in the 2019 presidential elections. The Jakarta Post published an<\/span>editorial<\/a>on 11 May 2019 entitled \u201cIntolerance crisis\u201d in which it argued that \u201cIndonesia is in a deep crisis of intolerance.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ongoing violations<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Incidents of violence against religious minorities, particularly Christians, Ahmadiyyas, Shi\u2019as and adherents of religions or beliefs not recognised by the state, including indigenous traditional beliefs, continue periodically within a climate of impunity. Violations and intolerance take various forms – Christian churches are closed down or attacked, Ahmadiyya Muslim mosques and homes burned, Shi\u2019as displaced, Buddhist temples targeted and Confucianists made vulnerable, as well as pluralistic-minded Sunnis and atheists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the darkest days for religious minorities in the country occurred on 13 May 2018 when three churches in Surabaya, Indonesia\u2019s second largest city, were attacked within minutes of each other by a family of suicide bombers; other churches have periodically been attacked by terrorists.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Blasphemy laws<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

The blasphemy laws in Indonesia have long been a cause of injustice and division, as they contain a very low threshold of requirements for evidence or proof of intent. The laws are misused for political reasons as well as religious intolerance to silence dissent, criticism or debate. The most significant example is the former governor of Jakarta, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (known as \u2018Ahok\u2019), who was sentenced to two years in prison on charges of blasphemy in 2017. In April 2020, a man from Surabaya was charged with blasphemy for altering the lyrics to a religious song.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The United Nations Special Rapporteurs on freedom of religion or belief, and freedom of opinion and expression, and the Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order, recently described blasphemy laws as \u201can unlawful restriction on freedom of expression\u201d which \u201cdisproportionately target persons belonging to religious minorities, traditional religions, non-believers, and political dissidents.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2019, proposals were made for revisions to Indonesia\u2019s Criminal Code, which would include an expansion of blasphemy laws to criminalise acts such as defaming a religion, persuading someone to be a non-believer, disturbing a religious ritual or making noise near a house of worship, insulting a cleric while leading a ritual, stealing religious artefacts and damaging a house of worship. This legislation was postponed in September 2019 on the instructions of the President, following popular protests against it, but it is likely to return in due course once the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic is over and the legislature has the capacity to consider it.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ahmadiyya Muslim community<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

The Ahmadiyya Muslim community has existed in Indonesia since 1925, and claims a population of approximately 500,000, across 330 branches throughout the country. The Ahmadiyya consider themselves to be Muslims, but are regarded by some other Muslims as heretical.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since 2005, the community has experienced serious violations of FoRB, including incidents of violence. A Joint Ministerial Decree introduced in 2008 by the Minister of Religious Affairs, the Attorney General and the Minister of Home Affairs prohibited promulgation of Ahmadiyya teachings. In 2011, the then Minister of Religious Affairs repeatedly called for an outright ban on the Ahmadiyya, and in 2013, the governor of West Java said that there would be no violence against the Ahmadiyya if there were no Ahmadiyya teachings or practices, describing Ahmadiyya Islam as \u201ca deviant belief.\u201d The \u201cproblem,\u201d he added, \u201cwill disappear if the belief disappears.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although there has been, according to Ahmadi representatives, \u2018some improvement\u2019 under the government of President Joko Widodo, intimidation of the Ahmadiyya continues and Ahmadiyya activities continue to be restricted to date.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recent developments<\/span><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

In March 2020, 15 Indonesians filed a lawsuit<\/a> with the Supreme Court arguing that the closure of thousands of places of worship was being done under a discriminatory law, the 2006 Religious Harmony regulation.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In September 2020, UCA News reported<\/a>that<\/span>Reverend Yeremia Zanambani, a Protestant pastor and Bible translator, had been shot dead in Indonesia\u2019s restive Papua region. There was some dispute over whether he had been killed by the Indonesian military or by members of a local separatist group, however in October Indonesia\u2019s human rights commission (Komnas HAM) reported<\/a>that a fact-finding team believed Pastor Zanambani had been tortured and killed by the military, who were hoping to extract information on stolen military weapons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In November 2020, UCA News reported<\/a>that Muhammad Rizieq Shihab (known as Habib Rizieq), a notorious Indonesian hard-line Islamic cleric, had returned to Jakarta from self-imposed exile. In December, six of Habib Rizieq\u2019s supporters were killed in police clashes after police had made several attempts to investigate Habib Rizieq for violating COVID-19 related restrictions following his return to the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On 30 November 2020, IS-linked Islamic militants carried out an attack on a Salvation Army outpost in Lemban Tongoa village in Indonesia\u2019s Central Sulawesi province. Four people were killed, one of whom was beheaded, and several homes were burnt down, including a house used for prayers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Palm Sunday, 28 March 2021, suicide bombers attacked<\/a>a Catholic Church in Makassar, South Sulawesi, leaving at least 14 people injured. Indonesia\u2019s President Joko Widodo called it \u201can act of terror\u201d and ordered a police investigation. \u201cI call on everyone to fight against terror and radicalism, which go against religious values\u201d the President said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recommendations<\/span><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

To the government of Indonesia:<\/i><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n