Muslims in Indonesia have put an end to church meetings that were being held in private residences.
On the western tip of Java Island, police said that dozens of Muslim residents gathered outside the house after worship ended in Saga Bunar, Balaraja Sub-District, Tangerang Regency, Banten Province.
On the western tip of Java Island, police said that dozens of Muslim residents gathered outside the house after worship ended in Saga Bunar, Balaraja Sub-District, Tangerang Regency, Banten Province.
Authorities said police arrived and dispersed the crowd, but video on X (previously Twitter) shows police officers present among other people in a room while the pastor, identified only as Kinerinda, reads an agreement reached with residents.
“Starting from today, there will be no more religious services or worship services in the house I live in,” Pastor Kinerinda says on the video, adding that she made the statement “with no coercion from any party,” a standard phrase in such agreements in Indonesia to prohibit members of minority faiths from later appealing in court.
Balaraja Police Chief Badri Hasan said the crowd gathered around the house after the service, objecting to its use as a place of worship, according to detiknews.com.
According to the news outlet, “According to residents, this is because there has been no approval or permission to build a place of worship.” Hasan said, “Residents have protested. As far as I know, this is the first time.”
The homeowner had used her home for worship services for a year, so Badri noted police referred the conflict to the “relevant stakeholders”—presumably the local city and religious leaders—to resolve the issue.
Bonar Tigor Naipospos, deputy chairman of the Setara Institute for Peace and Democracy, said holding worship at a house is permitted in Indonesia’s Join Ministerial Decree of 2006. The law requires a permit only for a venue constructed as a permanent worship site.
Private worship is legal in Indonesia, but many people consider the “private sphere” to be only the five daily prayers in Islam, he said.
Indonesia ranked 42nd on Open Doors’ 2024 World Watch List of the 50 countries where it is most challenging to be a Christian.
