Indonesia: 2006 Decree constitutionally challenged

The Jakarta Post reported on 25 March 2020 that the provisions set out in the Joint Ministerial Decree of 2006 have now been‚ brought before the Supreme Court.‚ The provisions set out the requirements for building or renovating places of worship. Thomas Muller, Persecution analyst at World Watch Research, explains what this means for the Church in Indonesia: "This decree has been a major challenge for Christians for years‚ and is discussed in detail in Open Door"s WWL 2020‚ country dossier.‚ Indonesia"s Constitution guarantees freedom of religion,‚ but‚ the decree requires, for instance, that‚ a congregation‚ needs‚ to obtain 90 signatures from its members and another 60‚ from‚ local‚ residents‚ before any building can take place.‚ This‚ mainly‚ affects‚ the many Christian‚ denominations‚ but‚ other religions‚ are affected too and‚ local communities‚ have misused the decree‚ to prevent the construction of places of worship by‚ minority groups throughout the country.‚ (This includes the building of mosques in Christian-majority areas.)" Thomas Muller adds: "Although the‚ decree was challenged at the‚ Supreme Court‚ in 2008 and the case was rejected,‚ criticism has become louder‚ since then‚ and‚ the outcome will‚ serve as an indication‚ of the‚ direction‚ in which‚ Indonesia is developing."