Police, MUI, FPI among Worst Violators of Religious Freedom
30 January 2017 09:52 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Halili, a researcher of Jakarta-based Setara Institute, which monitors religious freedom, noted that 208 incidents and 270 violations of religious freedom took place in 2016, adding that an incident of intolerance may consist of several violations.
A research conducted by Setara Institute indicates that violations of religious freedom in 2016 were committed by both state and non-state actors.
Halili named 18 state actors who committed violations of religious freedom. “Police are the state actors who committed the most violations of religious freedom,” Halili told a press conference in Setara Institute, South Jakarta, on Monday, January 29, 2017.
According to him, police committed 37 violations of religious freedom, followed by local governments with 35 violations, educational institutions with 9 violations, Ministry of Religious Affairs with 9 violations and the attorney general’s office with 8 violations.
Setara said that most of the violations committed by police were omissions. Police are also guilty of criminalizing believers, apostasy charges, arbitrary arrest, and detention, condoning, discrimination, blasphemy charges, and restrictions on freedom of expression.
Halil said that community members dominated the non-state actor category with 42 cases of intolerance. Some 30 violations were committed by Islamic mass organizations, 17 by the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), 16 by the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) and 4 by private firms.
The offense committed by non-state actors were acts of intolerance, action against the apostates, intimidation, hate speech, religious event disbandment, damaging property by fire, threats, and backlash against houses of prayer establishment.
Setara Institute researcher Sudarto said that the MUI edicts have led to acts of intolerance. “The MUI had made statements on apostasy and urged the government to follow up its edicts,” Sudarto said.
Meanwhile, the FPI acted as field operator or enforcer of the MUI edicts. The National Movement to Safeguard the Indonesian Ulema Council’s Edict (GNPF) MUI was mobilized by the FPI, he said.
REZKI ALVIONITASARI
