Source: www.morningstarnews.org
Date: November 13, 2026
Objections arise despite fulfilment of all legal requirements.
By Our Indonesia Correspondent
Bandung city square (Alun-alun Bandung) and Grand Mosque of Bandung. Rhmtdns, Creative Commons
SURABAYA, Indonesia (Morning Star News) – Authorities in Indonesia recently allowed construction to proceed on worship buildings of two churches in different provinces despite vigorous protests from Muslim groups.
Hundreds of Muslim residents protested against construction of the building of Bethel Church of Indonesia (Gereja Bethel Indonesia, or GBI) Mekar Wangi in the Taman Kopo Indah Shopping Complex in Bandung Regency, West Java Province, on Oct. 30, despite the church having obtained all legally required documents, according to news reports.
The opposition arose one month after residents of Lolu Selatan village in Palu, Central Sulawesi Province, protested construction of Kasih Anugerah Church, which had already obtained a Building Approval (PBG), a recommendation from the Ministry of Religious Affairs, and approval from the Interfaith Harmony Forum (Forum Kerja Sama Umat Beragama, FKUB).
In West Java, Muslims riding motorcycles shouted “Reject the church” as they headed toward the GBI Mekar Wangi temporary shophouse church in the Taman Kopo Indah Shopping Complex in Mekar Rahayu village, Margaasih District. The complex lies near the border between Bandung and the city of Cimahi.
In the presence of several police officers who declined to intervene, the crowd voiced objections to the church’s presence and questioned its administrative requirements and permits. A TikTok video of the Indonesian Movement for All (Pergerakan Indonesia untuk Semua, PIS) indicated that besides shouting “Reject the church,” the crowd also hit the church building walls, frightening worshippers inside.
Advocacy organization PIS asserted that rejection of the church was due to Muslim residents’ concerns that “the presence of the church would influence their children.”
The GBI Mekar Wangi congregation has held services at the site for the past two years, while its permanent shophouse church is under construction in the Taman Kopo Indah V area at the same business compound. Previously, the congregation used a building elsewhere and when it was later converted into a place of worship, local residents rejected the arrangement. According to PIS, the community’s opposition then was on concerns of neighborhood safety and limited parking space.
In a telephone conversation between Presidential Communication Expert Staff member David Herson and local GBI leader Pastor Rubin Adi Abraham that appeared on the @Yattaofficial TikTok account, the pastor said the building permit for the church was obtained at the end of August.
The church has been at the location for 10 years, and throughout that time, residents had put up banners expressing their opposition and had even arrived at the place of worship, an encounter facilitated by the FKUB (Religious Harmony Forum), Pastor Rubin said. The crowd’s stance was simple: “Regardless, the church must be shut down.”
Government Allows Construction
The government responded promptly to the opposition.
Gugun Gumilar, the president’s special staff to the Minister of Religious Affairs for Religious Harmony and Services, Oversight, and International Cooperation, visited the site the following day, Nov. 1.
“Today I am in Bandung. I affirm that the construction of this church can proceed immediately because the entire permitting process has been completed,” Gugun said in a post on his Instagram account, @gugungumilar89.
The visit was part of the Ministry of Religious Affairs’ commitment to safeguarding interreligious harmony and ensuring that issues concerning houses of worship, provided they have met the necessary requirements, are addressed with certainty and appropriate follow-up action, RM.id reported.
Herson of the Presidential Communication Expert Staff backed Gugun’s statement, posting on his Instagram account, @davidherson_official, “No one should ever damage interfaith tolerance. Especially since GBI Mekar Wangi Church has already obtained a permit and holds a Building Approval (PBG).”
He further noted that the chief of the Indonesian National Police concurred by stating, “No one should disturb or disband places of worship.”
The construction permit for GBI Taman Kopo Indah was issued on Aug. 31, according to the Ministry of Religious Affairs, after more than a year of effort. With the issuance of the permit, all administrative and licensing requirements for the construction of a house of worship were fulfilled.
Records from the Setara Institute for Democracy and Peace show that violations of freedom of belief and religion frequently recur in Bandung, capital of West Java Province, and across West Java more broadly.
In 2024, West Java recorded 38 incidents of violations of freedom of belief and worship, according to the Setara Institute. This was the highest number of any province, though it represented a slight decline from the previous year, when 47 cases were recorded in West Java, according to Setara.
That decline did not last long. In 2025/2026, West Java once again ranked first, with 56 incidents of religiously motivated violence or violations.
Central Sulawesi Incident
In Central Sulawesi Province’s Palu Timur District, similar opposition erupted on Sept. 26, when Muslim residents protested construction of the Kasih Anugerah Church, also known as Palu City Blessing, in Lolu Selatan village.
Opposition surfaced even though the church had obtained a permit from the mayor of Palu, as well as recommendations from the Ministry of Religious Affairs and the FKUB.
Member of the House of Representatives Matindas J. Rumambi condemned the opposition, calling it a serious threat to religious tolerance, according to Suara.com. Matindas said freedom of religion is a constitutional right guaranteed by the state. He argued that rejecting a house of worship that has already obtained a permit could damage interfaith tolerance if allowed to continue. He also called for the issue to be resolved through legal provisions, not intimidation.
Tensions in Palu came to public attention on Sept. 17, when several representatives of Lolu Selatan village residents, accompanied by legal counsel, submitted a letter of objection to the mayor of Palu, the Spatial Planning and Land Affairs Office, the Palu City Council, and the Palu City Ministry of Religious Affairs.
Residents questioned the legal basis, procedures and requirements for issuing the PBG for the church’s construction, according to Media.alkhairaat.id. They also stated that a village-level official report had been issued requesting a temporary halt to construction, following an instruction from the mayor of Palu.
The Spatial Planning and Land Affairs Office stated that a building permit is issued only after the established requirements have been met. One of the documents required for the construction of a house of worship is a recommendation from the FKUB and the Ministry of Religious Affairs.
On Sept. 29, residents then submitted a formal warning letter to the mayor of Palu and conveyed their aspirations to the city council. They requested clarification, an investigation, transparency and legal certainty regarding alleged inconsistencies in the documents and procedures for issuing the PBG.
Residents stressed, however, that the warning letter was not intended to conclude that any violation had occurred before an investigation was completed. They stated that they would pursue legal channels if administrative, civil, or criminal violations were found.
In response to the tensions, the Palu City Council held a public hearing on Oct. 1 to address residents’ interests regarding construction of the Kasih Anugerah Church. Mediation efforts eventually allowed the church’s construction to continue, according to the Antara news agency.
“After receiving approval from the Palu City Government, we began construction,” said Pastor Yosi Sudarmadji of the Kasih Anugerah Church-Palu City Blessing, according to Antara. “The building is designed to accommodate 300 people, with a size of 18 by 22 meters, and is equipped with a spacious parking area so that, as much as possible, it will not use the road.”
The church has existed for 21 years, with 147 members, or 54 households, he said, adding that the congregation is still holding services on Samratulangi Street while waiting for the construction of their building to be completed.