By Irving Feng
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

JAKARTA, Indonesia – Human Rights Watch (HRW), a New York-based human rights watch dog, recently released a report highlighting Indonesia’s rising religious intolerance and failure to protect religious minorities.

The one hundred and seven page report was compiled using research conducted from August 2011 to December 2012.  It includes over 100 interviews of local Indonesians, 71 of which were victims to crimes of religious intolerance.

The report also included information from the nonprofit Setara Institute, based in Indonesia’s capital of Jakarta, which found that 264 attacks of religious minorities occurred in 2012, 244 attacks were recorded in 2011, and 216 attacks were recorded in 2010.  These numbers show a steady increase in the amount of attacks motivated by religion against minorities in Indonesia over the course of the previous three years.

Indonesia is the most populous Muslim-majority nation in the world.  Muslims, of the Sunni variety, dominate the nation’s population, numbering around 210 million.  This massive majority has perhaps contributed to the growing religious intolerance.

Brutal attacks and constant harassment has been commonplace in Indonesia against the minority populations of Christians, Shia Muslims, and Ahmadiyah.  In addition to the attacks and harassment, the government’s actions, and lack of action, has exacerbated the situation.

Discriminatory regulations passed by the central government have had a significant effect on the religious minorities.  Local governments have allegedly refused to grant religious minorities permits to build new places of worship.  A Supreme Court decision which granted religious minorities the ability to build new places of worship has also been largely disregarded by many local authorities.

Local law enforcement has failed to curb the rising number of violent attacks being perpetrated against the religious minorities in the country.  Prosecutors have also failed to properly prosecute the few that have been brought in on charges of violence and have chosen to apply weak punishments for their crimes.

Secretary General of Indonesia’s Religious Affairs Ministry, Bahrul Hayat, released a statement, citing a government survey which was compiled at the end of last year, alleging religious harmony within the country is incredibly strong.   Bahrul Hayat urges the international community to disregard the few violations that may have occurred against religious minorities in the country.

The Secretary General believes that the few violations he noted should not be seen as the norm, but as the exception to the rule.  Many of the causes of conflicts within the country that may have been blamed on religious intolerance are actually socially, politically, culturally, or economically motivated.

HRW, however, still calls for Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to adopt a “zero tolerance” policy with regards to religious intolerance, discrimination, and the rising violence perpetrated against the religious minorities in the country.

For further information, please seeL

India Talkies – Indonesia urged to protect religious minorities from growing violence – 1 March 2013

BBC – Indonesia urged to tackle religious intolerance – 28 February 2013

Breitbart – Report: Religious violence rising in Indonesia – 28 February 2013

Business Mirror – Religious violence rising in Indonesia – 28 February 2013

Human Rights Watch – In Religion’s Name – 28 February 2013