JakartaPost-Sept 8, 2023
Religious organizations and civil groups have criticized a proposal from the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) on the government directly controlling and monitoring places of worship in its fight against extremist ideologies, fearing this could restrict religious freedom in the country. BNPT head Comr. Gen. Rycko Amelza Dahniel presented the proposal on Monday in a meeting with House of Representatives Commission III overseeing legal affairs. He suggested that the government needed a new mechanism to control and monitor places of worship to curb the spread of extremist ideologies. Rycko said the proposed mechanism was drawn from the BNPT’s observation of several countries including Malaysia, Singapore, Oman and Saudi Arabia, where governments controlled who could work at houses of worship, especially religious leaders and teachers. “We need to regulate who can preach in places of worship and what they teach, so such places do not become an instrument for spreading violence and hate, or an outlet to insult our leaders and the government,” he said. Concerns have been rising in recent years over the spread of violent extremism in places of worship across the country. In 2020, the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC) published a report on its study of extremist groups in West Sumatra that questioned the government’s approach in tackling radicalization and extremist ideologies. While authorities saw extremism as a lack of nationalism that could be solved through indoctrination in the Pancasila state ideology, IPAC believed the problem was more clear-cut, such as a mosque hosting extremist discussions for more than 10 years without any attention from local officials. Read more at: https://www.thejakartapost.com/paper/2023/09/08/proposed-govt-control-over-places-of-worship-draws-criticism.html.
