Great Mosque of Central Java. (Chris Woodrich, Creative Commons)
SURABAYA, Indonesia (Morning Star News) – Muslims on June 11 protested a second time against plans for a church building in Central Java, Indonesia, sources said.
Citing lack of construction permits, few Christians in the area and fear of proselytizing, the Muslims spread banners rejecting the plans of Java Christian Church (Gereja Kristen Jawa, GKJ) at a rally in Banyuanyar village, Banjarsari District, Solo Municipal.
Demonstrators representing the “Coordinator of Banyuanyar Muslim Community of Banyuanyar village, Banjarsari District, Solo Municipal, Central Java,” the demonstrators crowded a narrow road in the densely populated neighborhood of the worship site. Along with banners, they carried a Taliban flag as an orator spoke through a loudspeaker.
Two banners read, “Do not provoke us – Banyuanyar residents are already peaceful; we reject the attempt to build a church. Reject, reject, reject,” and, “Beware!!! Watch for proselytizing in Banyuanyar. Reject the church construction.”
A demonstrator leading the rally said, “We reject [church construction] so that nearby residents also know that if a rule is violated, then there must be an evil plan, a plan for proselytizing, a missionary agenda. There is a plan to convert the Muslims living around this place.”
The group also submitted letters of rejection about the church construction to the Mayor of Solo, the Ministry of Religious Affairs and the head of Solo’s Forum for Religious Harmony and met the local legislative council.
The head of Banyuanyar village, who goes by the single name of Legiyatno, said residents demonstrated because the church did not yet have the required documents, according to Kompas.com.
“There is no GKJ church building yet. It’s just an empty plot. The rejection wasn’t an outright frontal ‘no,’ it’s because the permits are incomplete,” Legiyatno told Kompas.com. “In short, they say they don’t agree with it being erected because the permits aren’t complete. It must be completed and follow the procedures.”
The head of the GKJ Banyuanyar construction committee, who goes by the single name of Suprapto, said the permit process has been underway since 2023, held up by bureaucratic delays and elections.
“The most recent step in processing documents had reached preparation for socialization,” Suprapto told Kompas.com. “But at that time the previous village and district heads had not yet signed. That obstacle continued during local and national elections, so all processes were postponed.”
Demonstrators also complained that the church site is near a mosque.
Suprapto said that is common in Indonesia, especially in Java.
“It’s natural; neighborhoods are diverse,” he reportedly said. “We also respect Muslims. Not all Muslims in the area disagree; some agree.”
Video circulating on social media shows most protestors wearing masks.
Pastor Wahyu Purwaningtyas of GKJ Nusukan, the nearest GKJ church to the proposed site, told pgi.co.id that the opposition may not be entirely local.
“Some parties suspect involvement by intolerant individuals or groups from outside Surakarta – in other words, outside elements who came prepared with an anti-church oration agenda,” he said.
Agus Santoso, head of Solo’s National Unity and Politics Agency (Kesbangpol), said the protest erupted largely because residents mistook an internal meeting by the construction committee as a public one and assumed construction was already underway, according to Detik.com.
“Both sides have been advised,” Agus Santoso told Detik.com. “We directed the church’s committee to complete permits in accordance with the Joint Regulation of the Minister of Religious Affairs and the Minister of Home Affairs No. 8-9/2006. For example, they must meet the requirement of 90 regular users and obtain approval from 60 local residents who hold ID cards and reside in the area, as well as submit a building permit.”
Suprapto said the list of congregation members and supporters already exceeds the minimum requirement.
“The local government requires a minimum of 90 worshipers, and supporters should be about 60,” he said. “By our count, the supporters have reached 89. The congregation number is roughly 106 as recorded in our documents.”
The construction committee is now working on completing required documents, while Solo’s FKUB has urged the parties to resolve the issue through deliberation.
The Indonesia for All Movement (Pergerakan Indonesia untuk Semua, PIS), which advocates for diversity, religious freedom and protection of minority rights, warned that meeting legal requirements is often not enough in Indonesia.
“Often, even when the church meets legal requirements, intolerant groups and local officials still refuse to issue permits,” the group said in a press statement. “In the end, religious minorities cannot establish places of worship.”
The Interfaith Solidarity Network (Solidaritas Jaringan Antarumat Beragama, SAJAJAR) argued that rejection of the church shows the joint regulation of 2006 needs a comprehensive review or even repeal.
The group’s Usama Ahmad Rizal reportedly said the problem is not just local but reflects a deeper issue in how places of worship are regulated.
“Regulations that should facilitate citizens’ right to practice their religion often become obstacles for religious groups trying to meet their worship needs,” he said told SuaraSurakarta.co.id.
In a meeting with leaders of the Communion of Churches in Indonesia (PGI), the Minister of Religious Affairs’ special staff, Gugun Gumilar, and others, Pastor Wahyu Purwaningtyas said GKJ congregation activities in Banyuanyar have taken place since the 1990s. The congregation has used a member’s house as a worship space, and that member later donated the house and land for the church building.
Although worship locations have moved frequently, the congregation has grown, prompting church leaders to pursue their own building, Pastor Wahyu told those present.
“This has been a very long journey,” he reportedly said at the meeting. “The planned site has moved three times, and each move required restarting the permit process.”
Pastor Wahyu added that the challenge is not only administrative but also involves social dynamics within the community.
Indonesian society in recent years has adopted a more conservative Islamic character, and churches involved in evangelistic outreach are at risk of being targeted by Islamic extremist groups, according to Open Doors.
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- Great Mosque of Central Java. (Chris Woodrich, Creative Commons)