20 churches face demolition in Indonesia [CWN]

[CWN_News]

Local officials in the Aceh Singkil Regency in Indonesia have closed 20 churches and will likely demolish them.The officials cited a 2006 regulation requiring the approval of 60 local …

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[Crescentinus]

Question. Are the churches in question condemned buildings due to structural safety concerns or are condemned by radicals?

 

[MugenOne]

what else do you think? The religion of peace is at it again.

Question. Are the churches in question condemned buildings due to structural safety concerns or are condemned by radicals?

 

[Dale_M]

Question. Are the churches in question condemned buildings due to structural safety concerns or are condemned by radicals?

In terms of population, Indonesia is the largest Muslim country in the world. Unfortunately, a hardline interpretation of Islam has become increasingly popular in many sections of the country and sometimes government officials cave to pressure. Aceh Singkil Regency is a small section of the province of Aceh, which is located on the northwest tip of the island of Sumatra.

Here is a little more back ground on the situation:

The administration reportedly used 1979 and 2001 regional agreements to justify the closures.

These agreements, designed to prevent conflict between Christians and Muslims in Aceh Singkil, stipulate that there must be no more than one church and four chapels built in the entire Aceh Singkil regency.

Christian representatives from Aceh Singkil said that these agreements are outdated and no longer reflect current realities.

“The agreements may have made sense back then when the Christian populations were small. But now, there are 15,000 Christian worshipers of various denominations living in Aceh Singkil. They all can’t possibly fit into one church and four chapels,” Veryanto Sitohang, executive director of the United North Sumatra Alliance (ASB), said on Tuesday when visiting The Jakarta Post’s office.

They noted that there was a 300-person pro-closure demonstration outside the Aceh Singkil regency office on April 30 that featured a strong presence of the hard-line Islamic Defenders Front (FPI).

thejakartapost.com/news/2012/06/12/aceh-singkil-christians-demand-reopening-churches.html

The demonstration preceded, by one day, the goverment’s decision to close the churches.

 

[Dale_M]

The order to close and demolish the churches was issued by an acting regent. Christians are appealing to higher government officials and seem to be getting a hearing.

Tigor Padang from the Aceh Singkil Christian Communications Forum said that church officials have sent letters to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, several ministries and the National Police to protest the closures and scheduled demolitions.

Only the Law and Human Rights Ministry has responded, Tigor said.

Separately, Home Minister Gamawan Fauzi said that he was not aware that the acting regent had ordered the places of worship to be closed and demolished.

Gamawan said that he would contact the acting regent to ask for clarification, adding that citizens had a right to worship as long as they complied with regulations.

“Churches must not be demolished if the officials have fulfilled the requirements. If they don’t have building permits, they must obtain them first. And if the local administration refuses to issue the permits, we must find out the reason,” Gamawan said.

thejakartapost.com/news/2012/06/13/regent-orders-churches-closed-destroyed-aceh.html

 

[Dale_M]

The closure of the 20 churches in Singkil Aceh Regency is not unprecedented. Last year, three churches were ordered closed.

asianews.it/news-en/Extremist-threats-in-Aceh:-authorities-close-three-churches-24679.html

The area affected is part of the Diocese of Sibolga, a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Medan (Sumatra). However, when contacted by a Catholic news organization last month, leaders declined comment. I presume that means they are working behind the scenes and want to avoid inflaming public opposition.