January 6, 2024

The situation of freedom of religion and belief in Indonesia in 2023 “will not experience major changes”, said the Advocacy Coalition for Freedom of Religion or Belief. The Ministry of Religion emphasized that the issue of religion and tolerance is “very complex”.

They note that throughout 2023 there will still be cases of rejection of the construction of places of worship in a number of areas, there is a trend of increasing reports of religious blasphemy based on viral videos on social media, and discrimination against believers.

Even though there are not many reported incidents of violations of freedom of religion and belief, these problems “increase the debt problem” that the government must resolve.

Responding to this, spokesperson for the Ministry of Religion, Anna Hasbie, said the issue of religion and tolerance is very complex and influenced by many factors.

Nevertheless, he emphasized that the Ministry of Religion would continue to prioritize a dialogue and persuasive approach in dealing with religious freedom issues even though he admitted that it was not easy, it took time and patience.

SOURCE https://www.bbc.com/indonesia/articles/cl79dv4x8lyo