Muhammad Farhan, mayor of Bandung Metropolis, affirmed the GRII church’s proper to worship. (Kota Bandung, Artistic Commons)
SURABAYA, Indonesia (Morning Star Information) – Muslims in West Java, Indonesia demonstrated in opposition to a Christian revival worship service on Jan. 6 attended by a employees member of an official within the Ministry of Non secular Affairs.
Carrying banners and a truck stuffed with loudspeakers, Muslims from the Bandung Metropolis-based Ahlus Sunnah Defenders group protested the service of the Indonesian Evangelical Reformed Church (Gereja Reformed Injili Indonesia, GRII), on the FX Surdirman Grand Ballroom in Bandung, capital of West Java Province.
“At the moment we took to the streets as a result of Christians below the management of Stephen Tong have been holding a 2026 non secular service,” a consultant of the Muslim group says in a video of the demonstration. “We aren’t rejecting the service. We aren’t prohibiting Christians from worshipping in line with their respective beliefs. We’re demonstrating as a result of they’re utilizing public services, the FX Sudirman Grand Ballroom.’
As police guarded the venue, the Ahlus Sunnah Defenders consultant claimed that the church was not allowed to make use of the constructing due to prohibitions in opposition to “spreading non secular actions which deviate from the principal teachings of Islam” within the 2016 Joint Decree of the Three Ministers and the 2006 Joint Decree of the Two Ministers on ethics for non secular broadcasting and the institution of homes of worship.
Current on the service was Gugun Gumilar, particular employees to the Indonesian Minister of Non secular Affairs for Non secular Concord, Monitoring and Overseas Cooperation, who advised media later that the rights of Indonesian residents to worship should be upheld.
On the video, one other protester could be heard shouting that the worship service was an try at changing Muslims to Christianity.
Previous to the protest the Muslim group had despatched a letter opposing the service to the organizing committee of the occasion on the morning of Jan. 6, a Fb account recognized as Bukurohani posted, asserting that the morning and afternoon protest exceeded the authorized restrict of hours permitted for demonstrations.
In its four-point assertion letter, the Ahlus Sunnah Defenders accused the worship service of “regularly involving Muslims” and:
“Overtly inviting residents or the general public, not particularly focusing on Christians, and disseminating the knowledge by means of varied media, each print and digital, akin to public transportation, non-public vehicles, banners, billboards, and digital media,” which they take into account to be provocation and propaganda geared toward changing Muslims.
“Conducting actions on the Bandung Institute of Expertise Ganesha Cultural Centre for years with out official permission, particularly from the police, is a violation of Police Regulation No. 7 of 2023.
“Worship and Christmas celebrations are a part of a collection of spiritual providers that needs to be held at locations of worship or church buildings, as stipulated within the 2006 Ministerial Decree No. 2 (Minister of Non secular Affairs and House Affairs).”
Gugun advised reporters that his presence on the service indicated the federal government’s whole dedication to make sure and uphold the fitting to worship for all Indonesian residents in line with the structure, TVOnenews.com. reported.
“Rev. Stephen Hong can also be a nationwide determine who has constantly unfold ethical values, nationalism and a mature non secular life,” Gugun reportedly mentioned. “The Ministry of Non secular Affairs isn’t merely current symbolically, but in addition needs to make sure that this non secular exercise runs easily.”
Bandung Mayor Muhammad Farhan affirmed Gugun’s assertions.
“The Bandung Metropolis Authorities ensures that each one non secular communities have the identical proper to worship,” Farhan reportedly mentioned.
Bandung, he mentioned, is an open metropolis that upholds the values of variety, and variations should be addressed properly and resolved by means of dialogue and deliberation.
The advocacy group Indonesian Motion for All (PIS) acknowledged in a podcast that not a single courtroom ruling declared such a service an criminality.
“In a state ruled by the rule of legislation, the courts decide whether or not an exercise is authorized or not, not by the judgments of mass organizations,” PIS acknowledged. “All their accusations are clearly fabricated. In actual fact, mass non secular gatherings, large-scale non secular research, Nationwide Zikr (remembrance day celebrations) and Maulid (celebration of the Prophet Muhammad) are additionally brazenly promoted by means of banners, billboards, social media and public areas.”
None of those actions have has ever been thought of non secular coercion, it acknowledged.
“No regulation in Indonesia prohibits the publication of open non secular occasions so long as there is no such thing as a hate speech or coercion,” PIS acknowledged. “Equating the publication of occasions with apostasy is a mistaken conclusion.”
Santrawan Totone Paparang, chairman of the Authorized Assist Institute for the Larger Indonesia Christian Motion (Gerakan Kristen Indonesia Raya, Gekira), a corporation affiliated with the Larger Indonesia Motion Occasion (Gerindra), indicated that continued demonstrations in opposition to the service have been illegal and opposite to the Structure of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia.
Opposite to the protesters’ accusations that the venue was a public house, Santrawan mentioned that it was a particular venue rented by the occasion organizing committee.
“The Sudirman Ballroom isn’t a public house. It’s a closed, authorized and legally rented house,” Sanrawan mentioned, in line with Portal-komando.com. “The rationale for the rejection based mostly on the pretext of utilizing public services has no authorized foundation.”
Santrawan mentioned that freedom of faith and worship is a constitutional proper stipulated in Article 29 of the 1945 Structure; no group in society has the authority to limit or intrude with the observe of worship of one other faith.
“Freedom of worship is topic to the 1945 Structure, to not the Joint Decree of the Two Ministers or the Joint Decree of the Three Ministers,” he mentioned. “Within the hierarchy of legal guidelines and laws, the Joint Decree is way beneath the 1945 Structure, so it can’t battle with the structure.”
Santrawan famous that the brand new felony code (KUHP) coming into impact quickly criminalizes any motion that obstructs, disperses or intimidates non secular worship.
“The brand new felony code emphasizes that acts of disrupting or obstructing non secular worship are felony offenses,” Santrawan mentioned. “There isn’t a longer any room for justification based mostly on mass stress, unilateral interpretation or administrative pretexts.”
Indonesian society lately has adopted a extra conservative Islamic character, and church buildings concerned in evangelistic outreach are vulnerable to being focused by Islamic extremist teams, in line with Open Doorways.
If you need to assist persecuted Christians, go to https://morningstarnews.org/assets/aid-agencies/ for a listing of organizations that may orient you on learn how to get entangled.
Should you or your group want to assist allow Morning Star Information to proceed elevating consciousness of persecuted Christians worldwide with original-content reporting, please take into account collaborating at https://morningstarnews.org/donate/?
###
© 2026 Morning Star Information. Articles/photographs could also be reprinted with credit score to Morning Star Information. https://morningstarnews.org
Tweet: https://twitter.com/morningstarnewz/
Fb: https://www.fb.com/MorningStarNews
Morning Star Information is a 501(c)(3) non-profit company that depends solely on contributions to supply authentic information reviews of persecuted Christians. By offering dependable information on the struggling church, Morning Star Information’ mission is to empower these within the free world to assist and to encourage persecuted Christians that they don’t seem to be forgotten or alone. Without cost subscription, contact editor@morningstarnews.org; to make tax-deductible donations, go to https://morningstarnews.org/donate/? or ship verify to Morning Star Information, 34281 Doheny Park Rd., # 7022, Capistrano Seaside, CA 92624, USA.
The put up Muslims in Indonesia Oppose Christian Worship Service appeared first on Morningstar Information.
