Written by Testriono
The GKI Yasmin congregation in Bogor has been prohibited by the local administration from holding services in its church for years. The Supreme Court has ruled that revoking the church’s permit is illegal. However, GKI Yasmin and many other churches in Indonesia have not been protected from a small but vocal minority that has tried to prevent them from receiving permits to build and worship — a minority that in some cases has even organized mobs to attack them.
The case of GKI Yasmin is troubling, but it is not representative of the status of all churches across the country. Throughout Indonesia, there are churches that do successfully receive building permits and congregations that can worship peacefully in religiously diverse neighborhoods. People working to resolve the problems in Bogor can look to the positive examples of interfaith relations in communities that have overcome religious tensions. …
Read more The Jakarta Post
