President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo on 23 December promised a safe Christmas celebration throughout Indonesia.
Indonesia is the world’s most populous Muslim nation, but only one of its provinces, Aceh, in the Singkil regency, applies shari’a law.
Churches destroyed
Ten churches were destroyed in this province in October alone, out of more than 30 churches nationally which were torched, destroyed or forced to shut down in 2015.
In all, 11 churches were demolished in Singkil, most following a settlement between Aceh Singkil’s religious leaders under the local government’s consent, after clashes between Muslims and Christians led to a focus on the existence of still-unregistered churches. However, many churches say they have tried to register for years and faced numerous obstacles.
In the immediate run-up to Christmas, the Aceh Singkil Regency Chief, or Bupati, banned Christmas services on 25 December (a Friday) – affecting more than 2,000 Christians from the destroyed churches. They were only allowed and promised security by the authorities (Bupati, police and military) if they held services on the 23rd.
Services at demolition sites
The recently-established Aceh Singkil Churches’ Communication Forum (Forsicas) met on the 23rd and decided that they would hold services on the 25th at all the sites where their demolished churches used to stand in direct defiance of the authority’s directives to either have the Christmas services on the 23rd or hold them on the 25th outside Singkil’s border.
Since October, the majority of the Singkil congregants have been unable to share in corporate worship. Around 1,000 churchless believers were prohibited from raising temporary tents to hold Sunday worship services – for ‘security reasons’ – and advised to go to churches in other villages.
Permission for tent services
In Aceh, church leaders must obtain permission from the local government if they want to hold Sunday services in tents. One of the torched churches, the Indonesian Christian Church (HKI), has recently been given a permit to do so.
Aceh Singkil’s authorities also emphasised that 13 remaining churches (those not on the authorities’ list for ‘closure’ as a result of the inter-communal violence) were given permission to apply for a registration permit, and that they must do so in the next six months. Church leaders from those churches must now gather at least 150 identity cards from church members and another 120 from local Muslims.
The Government also promised a worship centre for those whose churches have been destroyed, but many Christians are sceptical.
