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Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Yaqut Minister of Religion Cholil Qoumas stated that the government will confirm the religious rights of Ahmadis and Shiites in Indonesia. Yaqut does not want religious groups to be expelled from their places of origin due to differences of faith.
“They are citizens who must be protected,” Yaqut was quoted as saying by CNN Indonesia on Friday (12/25/2020).
The man who is familiarly named Gus Yaqut said the Ministry of Religion will facilitate a more intense dialogue to bridge the differences until now.
“A more intense dialogue is needed to bridge the differences. The Ministry of Religion will facilitate,” he said.
The statement was in response to a request by Syarif State Islamic University professor Hidayatullah Jakarta Azyumardi Azra that the government affirm minority groups.
Azyumardi streamed this online on the Professor Talk forum at the Indonesian Science Institute (LIPI) in Jakarta.
“Especially for those who have been marginalized and then there is persecution, that needs affirmation,” Azyumardi said.
According to him, the government did not appear to give this claim to minority groups. For example, when there are religious followers who want to build a place of worship.
Azyumardi said that the Shiite refugees in Sidoarjo and the Ahmadiyah group in Mataram were being persecuted by a “robed” Islamic group.
The case of intolerance, according to him, not only occurs among Muslims, but is also experienced by followers of other religions in Indonesia.
“In areas that are predominantly Christian, it is difficult for Catholics to build a church. In a predominantly Catholic area, Christians are also difficult to build,” Azyumardi said.
He is of the opinion that a group with minimal power relations in a place will have a difficult time obtaining the blessing of establishing a place of worship from a group with stronger power relations.
“It’s actually a question of power relations. Who thinks the majority is. So things like this, power relations that must be regulated (by the government). How to be fair,” he said.
The Joint Regulations of the Minister of Religion and the Minister of the Interior Number 9 and Number 8 of 2006 base the construction of places of worship on the composition of the population for the services of the religious community concerned in the kelurahan / village area. It is considered that the construction of places of worship will be difficult to achieve when power relations are not evenly distributed.
Azyumardi believes that the regional expansion factor that the government does not pay attention to also contributes to this problem.
“I think it needs to be reorganized, yes. How do the ruling parties feel less tolerant? So I still need affirmation from the national level,” Azyumardi said.
(Head to head)
