The incident took place in Jayasampurna village, Serang Baru Sub-District, Bekasi Regency, near Jakarta. Muslims, some from outside the village, formed a human chain to prevent members of the Huria Kristen Batak Protestant Church (HKBP) from reaching a prayer post near the Green Cikarang housing complex where the congregation planned to hold a Christmas service, reports Morning Star News.
The outlet reports that dozens of Muslim men and women holding hands to block access to the site. Participants shouted “Allahu Akbar” and made anti-Christian remarks while police officers and bystanders observed. Some members of the church were pushed back as they attempted to pass through the human wall.
In one video, a Christian man is heard saying, “We only want to worship peacefully – we have no intention of disturbing anyone.”
Another video shows a banner held by protesters reading, “We, the Muslim residents of Jayasempurna village, firmly reject the construction of illegal houses in our neighborhood forever.”
According to harianterbit.com, the HKBP congregation has used the prayer post for worship services for approximately seven years. The same outlet reported that Muslims also blocked the church from holding services at the location on November 30 and December 7.
Following the Dec. 14 incident, local authorities convened a mediation meeting on Dec. 15 led by the Regent of Bekasi. As a result of the meeting, both sides agreed that the HKBP congregation would temporarily relocate services to the Interfaith Harmony Forum office in Jababeka city.
A second mediation effort took place on Dec. 18, led by the Indonesian Ministry of Religious Affairs. According to the state-run news agency Antara, the meeting resulted in eight agreements between the parties. These included commitments to forgive one another, resolve permit-related issues for prayer house construction, and assistance from the Ministry of Religion to allow the church to celebrate Christmas.
The incident prompted criticism on Indonesian social media, with users pointing to ongoing concerns about religious freedom in the country. One post by rights activist Permadiarya2 addressed West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi directly.
“Kang Dedi, don’t just stay silent, Bro,” the post read. “This kind of intolerance happens too often in your province…They are not second-class citizens, Sir. They have the same right to worship, and the state is obliged to protect and defend them.”
According to the Christian advocacy group Open Doors, Indonesia has seen increased religious conservatism in recent years. The group has reported that churches involved in evangelistic outreach face a higher risk of being targeted by Islamic extremist groups.
