Bandung, Indonesia - 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.