Protes moral yang aneh. Memprotes kegiatan ibadah dan kegiatan panti
pijat/spa yang diduga jadi tempat pelacuran.
Salam,
Harry Surjadi
--------------
The Jakarta Post, Feb 22, 2006:
Bandung locals protest, demand church closure
Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung
More than 150 residents of Jl. Abdurrahman Saleh in Bandung staged a rally
in front of the city square shop-house complex Tuesday, demanding that
church groups discontinue using the third and fourth floor of the building
for their religious services.
The protesters, calling themselves the Padjadjaran Dalam Forum, gathered in
the complex for nearly one hour, carrying banners that read "Church No,
Massage Parlor No, Borma (supermarket) Yes, Mall Yes."
Besides opposing the existence of the two church groups, the residents also
protested over the presence of a massage parlor and spa, which employed
young women living in the area. They asserted that the parlor and spa had
been used as a prostitution center.
The protesters said that the presence of the church services in the complex
was a violation of the original business permit. The Kasih Anugerah Church
and Bethel Indonesia Church, they said, had used the complex over the past
year.
Abdul Latief, coordinator of the forum, explained that under a 1969
ministerial decree issued by the Religious Affairs Ministry and the Home
Ministry, houses of worship were required to obtain a permit from both the
local office of the Religious Affairs Ministry and the head of the local
neighborhood unit.
"In this case we have not been informed about the existence of the churches,
but suddenly they are there," Latief said.
The protesters said that without any proper handling, the presence of the
church groups and massage parlor at the city square could result in
conflict.
Arjun, chairman of the local community unit, disclosed that the church
meetings and the massage parlor had irked local residents.
"We don't think they are fitting for our residents," he said.
The protesters remained calm under the watchful eye of dozens of police
officers and military personnel.
The residents failed to meet representatives of the two churches and massage
parlor. They did, however, obtain copies of a permit from West Bandung
Police for the church groups to hold a gathering from September to October
last year.
The controversial issue of church closures came to light again after Andreas
A. Yewangoe, an executive of the Indonesian Communion of Churches (PGI)
reported to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono last year that 23 Christian
places of worship in Bandung had been forcibly closed by hard-line groups,
mostly by the Islam Defender's Front (FPI) between September in 2004 and
August last year. The FPI is a right-wing Muslim organization and part of
the Alliance of the Anti Apostasy Movement (AGAP), which has been
aggressively campaigning for the closure of churches in West Java province.
In response to the complaint, the President ordered Religious Affairs
Minister M. Maftuh Basyuni to investigate the issue in a prudent manner.
The report was confirmed by the AGAP itself. The grouping of hard-line
Muslim organizations acknowledged Wednesday that it had closed over 20
churches in West Java since 2004.
The groups have claimed that the churches were shut down due to complaints
from local residents.
Quotes :
"Dengan Ilmu hidup menjadi mudah, dengan seni hidup menjadi indah, dengan
agama hidup menjadi terarah"
- Deny Adipramana <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> -
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