Source: Jakarta Post

For many Indonesians who were anxious about the direction the country was heading, the words of the new Home Minister Tjahjo Kumolo came like a cool breeze. Indonesia was once known as a nation of tolerance, which developed naturally from the great diversity found within our borders, but now citizens are being targeted in their own country simply because they follow a different creed.

Trust a politician from the staunchly nationalist Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) to put the country back on track. This was indeed what many citizens were hoping for when they voted for President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, who has made a critical decision to keep Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin in his Cabinet. Both Jokowi and Lukman seem to be showing signs that the members of minority religions will be treated with the former tolerance that was once more widespread rather than being persecuted, driven from their homes, denied their civil rights and even murdered.

On Wednesday, Minister Tjahjo met with representatives from minority groups, including the Bahai and followers of the Sunda Wiwitan indigenous faith in West Java, who claim that their marriages are not legally recognized unless they convert to one of the official religions. The minister also plans to summon mayors, regents and governors whose constituencies contain minorities whose constitutional rights including freedom of worship and freedom from fear are frequently violated.

The reform era was quite a shock in the sense that an end to authoritarianism brought a sudden, widespread freedom of fanatical views that often encouraged and even threatened people to conform to a uniform set of beliefs and behaviors.

Even though the religious and ethnic conflicts in Maluku and Central Sulawesi have died down, followers of minority faiths continue to face threats. For instance, the Ahmadiyah in Lombok have been living in makeshift, temporary shelters for almost 10 years ever since they were forcefully evacuated from their homes because they refused to convert to Sunni Islam.
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