Advertising

Sunday 23 May 2010

[wanita-muslimah] Bogor, Bekasi Churchgoers Still Locked Out of Worship

 

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/city/bogor-bekasi-churchgoers-still-locked-out-of-worship/376686

May 23, 2010
Ulma Haryanto

Bogor, Bekasi Churchgoers Still Locked Out of Worship

For yet another Sunday, two congregations in Bogor and Bekasi had to hold Mass on the street in the absence of local permits to use their churches.

"The Bogor administration has not removed the seal from the church door. This is the fourth time we have had to hold prayers outside," Jayadi Demanik, a member of the GKI Yasmin congregation, told the Jakarta Globe on Sunday.

He also said that nearly 100 Bogor Police officers had come to the location to "secure the area."

"It was different from the last time they came. They said they did not come to prevent us from praying, but instead told us that they wanted to keep the area safe in case there's an attack," he said.

Jayadi said that on Saturday, Bogor Police Adj. Comr. Irwansyah called a member of the congregation and told him to cancel the Mass. "Nobody should prevent anyone from praying," Jayadi said.

Irwansyah declined to comment on the matter.

He said that the last time they tried to hold a service, officers from the public order agency, or Satpol PP, tried to stop them from praying on the street.

In February 2008 the Bogor administration suspended the church's permit after a group of people calling themselves the Communication Forum for Indonesian Muslims (Forkami) protested in front of the Bogor Legislative Council. The city placed an administrative seal on the church notifying the public of the suspended license, but worshipers were still able to pray there. Last month, the city locked the church doors.

Despite three administrative court rulings in Jakarta and Bandung favored the church, the seal has not been removed.

Members of HKBP Filadelfia face a similar obstacle in Bekasi. They waited two years for a permit to build a church, only to be told by the city administration in December that they could not conduct worship at the church's proposed location.

"We are still holding our prayers on the street," the Rev. Palti Panjaitan said.

The plot of land where the church was to be built contains a temporary chapel made of plywood and covered by a tarp.

"[The Bekasi authorities] cited the law governing homes and other structures, not on religious activities," Palti said.

He said that his church had also received threats from Forkami, which had staged noisy protests outside the proposed church site twice in 2008 and 2009.

The members of the church are currently waiting for their case to be heard at the State Administration Court (PTUN), where a secretary told the church's lawyer, Parasian Hutasoit, that the hearing would likely be held on Thursday or May 31.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

__._,_.___
Recent Activity:
=======================
Milis Wanita Muslimah
Membangun citra wanita muslimah dalam diri, keluarga, maupun masyarakat.
Twitter: http://twitter.com/wanita_muslimah
Situs Web: http://www.wanita-muslimah.com
ARSIP DISKUSI : http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wanita-muslimah/messages
Kirim Posting mailto:wanita-muslimah@yahoogroups.com
Berhenti mailto:wanita-muslimah-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
Milis Keluarga Sejahtera mailto:keluarga-sejahtera@yahoogroups.com
Milis Anak Muda Islam mailto:majelismuda@yahoogroups.com

Milis ini tidak menerima attachment.
MARKETPLACE

Stay on top of your group activity without leaving the page you're on - Get the Yahoo! Toolbar now.


Get great advice about dogs and cats. Visit the Dog & Cat Answers Center.


Hobbies & Activities Zone: Find others who share your passions! Explore new interests.

.

__,_._,___

0 comments:

Post a Comment