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October 2013 

Factsheet

 INDONESIA

Indonesia:

A New Culture of

Intolerance Threatens

Religious Minorities

In

d

o

n

e

si

THE U.S. 

COMMISSION ON 

INTERNATIONAL 

RELIGIOUS 

FREEDOM

was created by the 

International 

Religious Freedom Act 

of 1998 to monitor the 

status of freedom of 

thought, conscience, 

and religion or belief 

abroad, as defined in 

the Universal 

Declaration of Human 

Rights and related 

international 

instruments, and to 

give independent policy 

recommendations to 

the President, 

Secretary of State, 

and Congress. 
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According to Indonesia’s 2000 census, 86.1% of the country is Muslim, 5.7% Protestant, 3%

Roman Catholic, and 1.8% Hindu, but its tradition of religious tolerance and pluralism has come 

under increasing strain in recent years. Indonesia has experienced serious and occasionally 

violent disputes over religious identity and religious policy that undermines its reputation for 

religious moderation and threatens both democratic institutions and the rule of law. 

Groups espousing religious intolerance under the banner of Islamic orthodoxy repeatedly have 

targeted religious minorities for intimidation, discrimination, and societal violence. Provincial 

police and government officials often tolerate these acts, with the government of President Susilo 

Bambang Yudhoyono coming under increasing criticism for not doing enough to combat the 

activities of extremist militias, such as the Islamic Defender’s Front (FPI) and similar 

organizations. 

President Yudhoyono has made public statements about the need to preserve religious tolerance 

and pluralism as the cornerstones of Indonesian democracy. He, and other members of his 

Cabinet, repeatedly also have promised to protect religious minorities. Yet, his Administration 

has contributed to the rising tide of intolerance--through discriminatory legislation, inflammatory 

rhetoric on the part of some cabinet ministers, failure to enforce court orders requiring the reopening of closed religious venues, use of a blasphemy law to jail individuals considered 

“deviant,” and the repeated failure to bring to justice the perpetrators of religiously-related 

violence. 

This Factsheet highlights incidents from January 2012 to September 2013 of violence against 

religious minorities, efforts to close religious venues, and the use of the Indonesian blasphemy 

law to intimidate and arrest individuals considered religiously “deviant.”

Attacks on Christian Churches/Church Leaders and Closure of Churches

Attacks on churches and Christian religious leaders consistently occur across Indonesia. In many 

instances, they are perpetrated by extremist militias, with little or no state intervention or effort 

to arrest the perpetrators after the attack. Indonesia also has struggled to find ways for religious 

minority groups to build and renovate places of worship without undue restrictions, with dozens 

forcibly closed each year since 1999. In 2006, the government issued a new law intended to 

make it easier to get permits for religious sites. However, FPI and similar groups, particularly in 

West Java, South Sumatra, Aceh, Lombok, and South Sulawesi, have politicized the permit 

process. Local officials are pressured to reject applications and close some venues that do not 

have necessary permits (though many have been in operation for years.) In addition, the national 

government does not enforce court decisions that have voided the forced closure by local 

officials of churches and other religious venues. In parts of West Java, Muslims have protested 

weekly at the venues of both Christian and Ahmadiyya Muslims. 
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January 2012 – December 2012

 January 1, 2012 - Bogor, West Java: Muslim groups prevented the GKI Yasmin Church 

from conducting a New Year’s service on the grounds of their already closed church.

 January 22, 2012 - Bogor, West Java: A mob, organized by FPI and joined by police and 

local authorities, stopped Sunday services at GKI Yasmin church.

 February 2012 - Bekasi, West Java: The local government closed three churches 

affiliated with the Batak Protestant Church (HKBP), the Merciful Christ Church of 

Indonesia (GKRI), and a Pentecostal Church in Indonesia (GPdI)) due to lack of required 

permits. The churches had tried unsuccessfully to submit permits. 

 March 21, 2012 - Padang, West Sumatra: Authorities and police raided and forcibly 

halted construction of the St. Ignatius Catholic Church citing opposition from Muslim 

residents. The Church completed all the legal requirements needed to receive permits.

 March 16, 2012 - Indramayu, West Java: Unidentified gunmen fired 20 shots into a local 

Catholic Church. No one was killed or injured.

 April 15, 2012 - Bekasi, West Java: The pastor of a HKBP Filadelfia Church was

threatened with physical violence as a mob tried to stop worship services. Police officers 

were present but took no action

 April 22, 2012 - Bekasi, West Java: Muslim groups staged additional protests at the 

HKBP Filadelfia Church, throwing feces and rocks at those gathered. 

 May 2012 - Singkil, Aceh province: From March to May authorities closed 20 Protestant 

house churches and four Catholic Churches in the Singkil regency of Aceh due to the 

threat of mob violence. Ten Protestant churches belonging to the ethnic minority group 

Pakpak Dairi also were closed and another attacked with a firebomb. 

 August 6, 2012 - Bogor, West Java: Officials sealed St. Johannes Catholic Church citing 

problems with a permit application submitted in 2007.

 November 4, 2012 - Central Tapanuli, North Sumatra: An armed attacker killed three 

children and wounded five others attending Sunday service at the Simanosor Maranatha 

Batak Protestant Church. The attacker died of injuries received while being apprehended. 

January 2013 – September 2013

 January 27, 2013 - Bandung, West Java: FPI organizers forcibly closed the Banua Niha 

Keriso Protestant church (BNKP). 

 January 27, 2013 - Sumedang, West Java: Members of the Islamic Forum, the Islamic 

Reform Movement, and FPI protested the Pentecostal Protestant Church (GPdI), claiming 
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that the church did not have a permit to operate. Members of the groups threatened 

violence unless the church was closed. Authorities arrested the pastor (and later his wife) 

and held them until April, 2013 for “operating a church without a permit.” 

 February 10, 2013 - Makassar, South Sulawesi: An attacker firebombed two Christian 

churches in Masakassar. No one was injured in the attacks.

 March 7, 2013 - Bogor, West Java: City authorities closed the facilities of the GKI 

Yasmin Indonesian Christian Church to prevent Sunday services, despite a Supreme 

Court ruling allowing the church to re-open.

 March 21, 2013 - Bekasi, West Java: The local government demolished a Batak 

Protestant Christian Church (HKBP) due to lack of a building permit.

 March 23, 2013 - Tambora, West Jakarta: The Damai Kristus Catholic Church was 

attacked by a mob and closed. Police officers guarding the church did not stop the 

protestors from entering and vandalizing the church. 

 September 25, 2013 - South Tangerang, West Java: FPI mounted a campaign against the 

parishioners of Saint Bernadet Catholic Church, successfully stopping construction of a 

new facility and pressuring local officials to close temporary meetings places in the area 

because they did not have permission to meet. St. Bernadet received a permit to build a 

new facility in August 2013 after having submitted applications for 23 years.

Attacks on Ahmadiyya Mosques and Closures

A 2008 Joint Ministerial decree prohibited “proselytization” by and the further growth of the 

Ahmadiyya community. The same decree also prohibited violence against them. However, the 

decree has neither limited violence nor slowed the closure of Ahmadiyya mosques and places of 

worship. Since the decree was issued, at least 37 mosques and meetings points have been closed 

and there have been at least 50 other acts of violence and vandalism directed at the Ahmadiyya 

community, including 2011 mob attacks in Central Java that left three Ahmadiyya dead. In parts 

of West Java, South Sulawesi, East Java, and Lombok provinces, FPI and other extremist groups 

interpret any visible Ahmadiyya activity as “proselytizing” and pressure local officials to close 

mosques or places of worship. 

Despite strong statements from some Indonesian officials, including the President, about the 

need to arrest and hold accountable perpetrators of violence against the Ahmadiyya, attacks 

continue to occur with impunity. The individuals charged with the February 2011 mob violence 

that killed three Ahmadiyya followers in Banten province were given sentences ranging from 

seven to five months in prison. In West Java, only one person has been sentenced for what have 

been dozens of attacks on Ahmadiyya mosques and meeting points. 

January 2012-September 2013

 February 17, 2012 - Cianjur, West Java: A mob attacked and destroyed an Ahmadiyya 

mosque.
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 April 20, 2012 - Tasikmalaya, West Java: A mob of local residents vandalized an 

Ahmadiyya mosque. Police at the scene outnumbered the vandals, but did not stop them. 

 July 13, 2012 - Cisalada village, West Java: A mob attacked an Ahmadiyya compound 

causing injury and property damage. Local government officials reportedly later forced 

Ahmadiyya leaders to publicly apologize for angering the community.

 October 25, 2012 - Bandung, West Java: An FPI group attacked and destroyed the An 

Nasir mosque during an Idul Adha celebration. Police later arrested one person for the 

attack, who was given a three-month sentence.

 February 14, 2013 - Bekasi, West Java: Municipal officials sealed the Al-Misbah 

mosque, after they received reports that Ahmadiyya followers were meeting for worship. 

Local authorities said such public displays are “illegal.” 

 May 5, 2013 - Tasikmalaya, West Java: A mob attacked an Ahmadiyya community and 

destroyed many buildings and a worship site. Two suspects were detained by local police 

but released 20 days later.

 April 4, 2013 - Bekasi, West Java: Local officials seal an Ahmadiyya mosque, 20 

Ahmadiyya protesters remain inside until the government agrees to unseal mosque. 

Attacks on Shi’a Muslims

Shi’a Muslims have been publicly labeled as heretical by the Minister of Religious Affairs, and 

the government-supported Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) has referred to Shi’a as deviant 

Muslims. The Shi’a population of Madura province has come under increasing pressure and 

experienced violence in recent years. Though some provincial officials in East Java have 

condemned violence against the community and promised to resettle those who lost homes and 

businesses in mob attacks, little has been done to this day. There continue to be reports that Shi’a 

are asked to renounce their faith in exchange for resettlement. The leader of the community in 

Sampang, East Java, also was jailed on charges of blasphemy (see “Arrests/Imprisonment” 

section below). Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali said recently that the Shi’a are “free 

to practice their religion” but must first go through a period of “enlightenment” carried out by a 

government selected reconciliation team. President Yudhoyono has not repudiated the 

Minister’s statements. 

 December 29, 2011 - Sampang, East Java: Militants attempted to burn down a Shi’a

community. Police arrested and charged only one individual for the arson attack.

 January 2, 2012 - Sampang, East Java: An anti-Shi’a mob attacked and looted the home 

and shop of a Shi’a family. Police detained one suspect in the attack and the East Java 

governor promised to restore and protect Shi’a properties.

 August 26, 2012 - Sampang, East Java: A group of roughly 500 militants attacked the 

Shi’a community of Sampang. One Shi’a follower was killed and 300 people displaced. 
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While police officers at the scene did not intervene, they later arrested eight individuals 

for participating in the attack. The Surabaya Municipal Court later acquitted them all.

 June 20, 2013 - Sampang, East Java: Authorities evicted Shi’a families living temporarily 

in a sports complex and relocated them to Sidoarjo, East Java due to “security concerns.” 

As of mid-September 2013, the displaced Shi’a families from the August, 2012 attack 

have been unable to return to their homes. 

Attacks on Other Religious Minorities

Other religious minorities and religious sects also have been targets of intimidation, 

discrimination, and violence, most often in the province of Aceh, the only province in Indonesia 

allowed to enforce Sharia law through a court system and “vice patrols.” 

 October 2012 - Banda Aceh, Aceh: Provincial officials, under pressure from FPI leaders, 

ordered the closure of six Buddhist temples. Local government officials claimed the 

religious venues failed to meet permit requirements, although some had been in operation 

for decades.

 November 16, 2012 - Bireuen, Aceh: Local villagers attacked and burned the home of a 

Sufi religious leader, Tengku Aiyub Syakuban, reportedly because of his “heretical 

teachings.” Four people died. No one was arrested for taking part in the attack.

 March 4, 2013 - South Aceh, Aceh: South Aceh regency government ordered all students 

to leave the Al-Mujahadah Foundation boarding school because its teaching of the Sufi 

interpretation of Islam was “strange...false and misleading.” The school’s top 

administrators also were banned from having guests in their homes as a way to stop any 

home-schooling efforts. 

 July/August 2013 - South Aceh, Aceh: The Al-Mujahadah Foundation boarding school

was burned down and the remaining school buildings were vandalized several weeks 

later. No one was arrested in the incident.

 August 4, 2013 - West Jakarta, Jakarta: A bomb exploded at a Buddhist vihara during a 

religious service. 

Arrests/ Imprisonments for Blasphemy or Other Charge 

According to the Indonesian Institute on Democracy and Peace (SETARA) and the Wahid 

Institute, two Indonesian think tanks tracking human rights conditions in the country, the use of 

Indonesia’s “blasphemy and deviancy” law has expanded in the past decade. Since 2003, over 

150 individuals have been detained and dozens sentenced to up to five years under Article 156(a) 

of the criminal code, according to which “expressing feelings of hostility, hatred or contempt 

against religions” and “disgracing a religion” are punishable by up to five years in jail. 

The Wahid Institute reported that in the past year local religious leaders, police, and government 

officials continued to pressure religious leaders or sought to disband religious groups because 
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their religious teaching or practices fall outside what is believed to be accepted Islamic thought. 

Most charges have been brought against allegedly heterodox Muslims, although a few also have 

implicated Christian groups. Group disbanded include al-Qiyadah al-Islamiyah, Jamaah 

Alamulla, Satria Piningit Weteng Buwono, Daifillah, Santriloka, Lia Eden, and the Sion City of 

Allah. 

 January 2012 - Cianjur, West Java: Hasan Suwandi, a guardian of the Ahmadiyya 

Cipeuyeum mosque, was given a two year sentence for “criminal defamation” after he 

claimed publicly that the local police chief gave permission to reopen the mosque.

 February 2012 - West Sumatra: Civil servant Alexander Aan was attacked by an FPI 

group and later arrested on charges of blasphemy for starting a Facebook page advocating 

atheism. He later was given a two-year sentence for “incitement,” allegedly for 

provoking his attackers. 

 March 2012 - Andreas Guntur: Leader of the spiritual group Amanat Keagungan Ilahi is 

sentenced to four years’ imprisonment for blasphemy because of his allegedly heterodox 

Islamic teachings.

 July 12, 2012 - Sampang, Madura: Shi’a cleric Tajul Muluk was arrested and sentenced 

to two years in prison for blasphemy. The sentence then was extended to four years after 

an appeal by Muluk.

 April 2013 - Tolitoli, Central Sulawesi: Five high school students who recorded 

themselves dancing and praying to a song by the band Maroon 5 were expelled from 

school, charged with blasphemy, and may face time in juvenile detention. They have not 

sentenced and are not being detained at this time. The young woman were prohibited 

from taking the national exam, which accounts for 60 percent of a student’s high school

grade.