SURABAYA, Indonesia: A pastor in Jombang Regency, Indonesia, was forcibly removed from his house of worship on August 18. The building where his congregation gathered was subsequently locked up.
The place of worship was closed as part of the Jombang government’s effort to reclaim several shops. The Weru neighborhood of Mojongapit village in East Java Province is home to a business compound the government claims to own.
About 80 kilometers (50 miles) west of Surabaya, in the Simpang Tiga Shopping Compound, Pastor Herri Soesanto called the government’s takeover of the two-story shophouse his Good God Church (Gereja Gembala Baik, or GAB) occupying “violent and anarchic.”
In an interview with Gus Aan Anshori, the son of a well-known Muslim cleric, Pastor Herri claimed that “a mob that I estimated to be about 50 people” had harassed and dragged him. “What was disappointing was that those who closed my church were my friends.”
Displaying the nearly healed bruises on his hands from the mob pulling him, Pastor Herri said, “This is the anarchic act that embarrasses the city of Jombang. The city of Jombang is wise. But the regent’s actions are violent and anarchic.”
He said the church closure took place under acting Jombang Regent Teguh Narutomo.
The congregation was deeply distressed when Pastor Herri, in shock, revealed the threats of imprisonment he had received from government officials. The injustice of the situation was palpable, and the congregation’s feelings of hurt and shock were evident.
Ownership
The authorities claimed that the land belonged to the city government and ordered the closure of numerous stores within the business compound.
In response to Gus Aan Anshori’s inquiry regarding the shophouse’s status, Pastor Herri stated that the real estate company failed to disclose to him and the other shophouse owners that it was collaborating with the Jombang local government to establish the business compound when they bought their sites.
“The developer did not inform us about that at all,” he continued, referring to the custom in Indonesia of delaying legal actions until the money is received. Additionally, they kept using a 2016 building-use rights certificate that had expired in 2016.
He claims that when the church tried to renew the building-use rights certificate, the authorities refused and insisted on receiving payment for the past and present rent.
“In 2022, the local government asked us buyers to pay the rent from 2016 to 2021, with a payment of 19,105,000 rupiah [1,228 USD] per year,” he said.
Thus, he said that although the church had bought the property and paid land and building taxes without the developer telling them about the joint plans with the government to develop it, the developers and officials demanded they pay rent.
The church held worship services on the front porch of the sealed-off site on August 18 and August 25, during which time congregation member Anania Budi Yanuari Hidayat spoke to media outlet KBR.
Speaking to KBR on August 25, Anania expressed the congregation’s hope that the Jombang local government would reconsider and allow them to resume their activities at the site. The tension and uncertainty of the situation were palpable.
Pastor Herri expressed frustration over the lack of a solution to the problem. His helplessness was evident, and the audience could feel the weight of the situation on his shoulders.
As a global community, we must oppose such acts of intolerance and discrimination. We can start by raising awareness about this issue and advocating for the rights of the persecuted congregation. “What is the government’s attitude towards religious tolerance if the church is closed now?” he asked. I ask for the wisdom of the Jombang Regency government. What will happen to our congregation?”
Jombang officials said sealing the church was necessary to secure local government land.
A senior Jombang official named Syaiful confirmed in an August 26 interview with KBR that the government and secured property had successfully protected the shophouse’s assets. Syaiful has indicated that we have no authority over the building’s use as a place of worship. The original plan for the building was to serve as a shophouse, and using it as a place of prayer was not one of those plans.
Syaiful said the seizure was legal and that those who object can take legal action. Even so, the Jombang Regency government promised to find a solution for the congregation, according to KBR.
According to Jatimnews.com, Ilham Rohim, an official at the Jombang Ministry of Religious Affairs Office, she added that the church has never applied for a license to use the site for worship.
The Anti-Discrimination Islamic Network (JIAD) coordinator, a group that advocates for religious tolerance and opposes discrimination, asked the local government to help provide the congregation with a place of worship. The Coordinator of the East Java JIAD, Aan Anshori, said that officials could provide a place for worship until the congregation finds a permanent location.
According to the Joshua Project, 83.3 percent of Indonesia’s population practices the Islamic faith, while 11.43 percent identify as Christians. Furthermore, the evangelical population is estimated to comprise 3.23 percent of the total population.
According to the Christian advocacy group Open Doors, Indonesia ranked 42nd on the 2024 World Watch List of the 50 nations where it is most challenging to be a Christian.
A more traditional and inflexible interpretation of Islam is making Indonesian society more conservative, according to the WWL report, which raises the possibility of attacks by extremist Islamic organizations against churches that are involved in evangelistic outreach.