The Indonesian Constitution of 1945 declares that the Indonesian state is based upon “belief in One, Supreme God.” Freedom of the people to profess and exercise their religion is guaranteed in Article 29.
Atheism is banned. The government recognizes five accepted religions: Islam, Catholicism, Protestantism, Buddhism and Hinduism. The practice of mystical, traditional beliefs of “Aliran Kepercayaan” is also permitted. All citizens, while not compelled to engage in religious practice, must choose one of the five recognized religions. This information is included in official documents such as a national identification card. Therefore, failure to indicate a choice may result in a failure to obtain these documents. Furthermore, couples from outside the five accepted religions may not be able to have their marriages recognized. In one prominent case, a Confucian couple was prohibited from getting married. The law allows for conversion between faiths, but such conversions may be a source of controversy.
The government places restrictions on unrecognized religions and certain types of religious activity. Jehovah’s Witnesses, Baha’i, Confucianism and some other religions have been banned by the government. The government monitors Islamic sects considered in danger of deviating from Orthodox tenets and has dissolved some such groups in the past. Public broadcasting of religious programming is permitted. Groups must apply for a permit to hold a religious concert. A 1969 regulation states that local residents must grant their permission and a license must be obtained from the Ministry of Religion before a place of worship can be built. Some Christians claimed that this law was aimed at preventing them from building more churches. House worship is banned unless approved by the local community and a regional office of the Ministry of Religious Affairs. Proselytizing and door to door witnessing are forbidden.
Laws from the 1970’s limit the number of years that a foreign missionary can spend in the country, and funding for foreign missionary work is regulated by the ORMAS law. Foreign religious organizations must apply to the government before they can contribute to local religious organizations within Indonesia. In East Timor, Irian Jaya and some other areas, missionaries have experienced difficulties renewing residence permits, and entry visas for new foreign clergy are hard to obtain.
The collapse of the economy caused the resignation of President Suharto in May 1998. The first president of the fledgling democracy, Adurrahman Wahid, was impeached in 2001 and replaced by Megawati Sukarnoputri. During the past four years, the country has been plagued by religious tension and violence between religious communities sometimes resulting in thousands of deaths.
In 2003, the government of the Aceh Province, began a process of implementing Shari'a as the official law. It is unclear how this will proceed and how it will apply to non-Mulsims. Attempts to recognize Shari'a on a national level have been resisted by the Parliament.
2003 U. S. Commission on International Religious Freedom Report on Indonesia
The Oslo Coalition on Freedom of Religion or Belief Report on Indonesia
International Christian Concern Report on Indonesia
Search Amazon.com for books on religious freedom in Indonesia