Religious harmony is a must, but how?

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President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono stressed the importance of the role of leaders and religious figures in resolving various conflicts taking place across the country.

"If the head of State, I invite and urge the leaders and religious figures guide people and apply their religious teachings as well as possible," he said in his speech at a commemorative ceremony celebrating the centenary of a Catholic Church in Manggarai regency, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), on Friday.

The President said that leaders and religious figures are constantly searching for peaceful solutions to the various conflicts should strive.

"Building and maintaining religious harmony as well as presenting examples of enlightened leadership are part of the requirements that are needed to settle the conflict," he said, as quoted by Antara news agency.

Yudhoyono said that in the midst of the heterogeneity and dynamics of Indonesia, sometimes conflicts arise where leaders and religious figures active in the search for a peaceful solution.

The President however stopped short mention concrete steps needed to be taken of the different religious conflicts takes place in a number of areas in Indonesia.

The discovery that a regent in Aceh ordered the closure of 20 churches in April this year reason concern about the growing intolerance, which can lead to common conflicts.

The closures were ordered by acting regent Aceh Singkil Razali AR in a letter signed on 30 April, which members of the congregations to break the churches themselves have ordered by 8 June at the latest.

After the closures, there are now only two churches in Aceh Singkil, both built after 2000 open. Most of the selected for scrapping churches were built in the thirties and forties. The conflict in Aceh will be added to the long list of incidents of religious intolerance in the nation.

In Bekasi, West Java, the Congregation of the Philadelphia Batak Protestant churches (HKBP) are regularly attacked and harassed by Muslims when it tries to conduct Sunday services.

Bekasi Regency is sealed from the Church site in 2010 after local residents objected to the construction of the Church. The Regency continues to refuse to open the site even after the Bandung State administrative court in favor of HKBP Philadelphia ruled.

Members of the Taman Yasmin Indonesian Christian Church (GKI) are facing similar harassment in Bogor, also in West Java.

Several human rights groups have also reported cases of attacks on Ahmadis and Shiites, including congregations in Cikeusik, Banten, Tangerang and Sampang in East Java.

Last month, Yudhoyono spoke before the UN General Assembly calls on the Member States, to adopt a legally binding instrument to prohibit blasphemy and dialogue between different religions, civilizations and cultures.

He added that such an instrument was needed to prevent incitement to violence based on religion.

Indonesia has several international laws that legally binding for the Government to guarantee freedom of religion the people ratified it. These laws include the International Covenant on Civil and political rights (ICCPR), which was ratified by Indonesia in 2005.

Friday ceremony was also attended by Cabinet ministers, NTT leaders and religious figures.

After the ceremony and before returning to Jakarta, the President and his entourage traveled to Labuan Bajo, the main gate of Komodo National Park, before flying on an Air Force Hercules plane to Central Sumba Regency.

Table of religious intolerance:

• During the era of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (since 2007) 108 churches are closed/damaged; in the era of president Megawati Soekarnoputri, 92; in the era of president Abdurrahman Wahid, 232; in the era of president Suharto, 456.

• Based on data from the Manado Post daily, there were 2,442 cases of Church closings and degradation in the period between 2004 and 2010.

• In 2011, Setara Institute included 244 cases of religious intolerance in 17 regions. The largest number of cases was recorded in West Java (57 cases), followed by South Sulawesi (45), East Java (31), North Sumatra (24) and Bantam (12).

Sources: the Jakarta Post and Setara Institute

Markus Makur contributed to this report from Ruteng.