Dynamics of Shrinking Religious Freedom in Post-Reformasi in Indonesia

Abstract

Much of the studies on religious freedom in Indonesia have established a striking disconnection between constitutional protections and the actual implementation of religious freedom, underlining the state’s failure as a protector of human rights. Yet, the emphasis on human rights has overlooked why the levels of governmental restrictions are substantially increased in democratized Indonesia, creating a trend of shrinking religious freedom. Using the perspective of civic space, this study analyses the dynamics of such a trend and the involvement of the state as a primary determinant. To demonstrate how and in what way the state engages in creating shrinking religious freedom, this study uses a combination of literature reviews and inspection on past measurements on the religious freedom situation in Indonesia. This study argues that rather than ideological factors, the dynamics of shrinking religious freedom is more related to the unrelenting endeavors from state-actors and agencies to control religion for the purpose of political motives and consideration due to the changing political landscape in a democratized Indonesia.

Strengthening Religious Moderation: Learning from the Harmony of Multireligious People in Indonesia

“…This data demonstrates that equality, tolerance, and cooperation among religious communities are still lacking (Birhan et al, 2021). Even in 2018, the religious harmony index fell to 70.90 (Hurriyah, 2020). Given the prevalence of religious conflicts, religious moderation has been famous as a coping strategy.…”

“…Numerous religious conflicts have befallen Indonesia over the past six years. As evidenced in 2018, the Setara Institute reported 136 acts violating religious beliefs and freedoms in 20 provinces of Indonesia (Hurriyah, 2020). The preceding statement denotes that various conflicts have already existed across different religious beliefs.…”

Do discriminatory laws have societal origins? The diffusion of anti-Ahmadiyah regulations in Indonesia

“…GRD too has increased in Indonesia over the past two decades. National and subnational governments have issued laws and regulations that restrict the practices of religious minorities in ways that do not apply to the majority religion (Hurriyah, 2020). A considerable literature has tried to identify the causes of both SRD and GRD in Indonesia, although rarely explicitly differentiating between the two types of discrimination.…”

Centering Acculturation as an Approach to Challenging the Fragility of Human Rights in Indonesia

“…36 The role of the government, at both national and local levels, in violating the rights of religious minorities is facilitated by a number of regulations and decrees. 37 For example, the violation of the Ahmadiyya minority was caused by the Joint Decree of the Minister of Religion, the Attorney General, and the Minister of Home Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia No. 3 of 2008, KEP-033/A/JA/6 No.…”