11/16/2011 Indonesia (Jakarta Globe) – A United States government commission has called on US President Barack Obama to speak out against Indonesia’s growing religious intolerance when he meets President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono during the upcoming Asean Summit in Bali.
In an open letter sent to Obama on Nov. 14, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom noted that there were “strong political forces, terrorist networks and extremist groups that continue to be serious obstacles to Indonesia’s democratic trajectory and a source of ongoing violations of religious freedom and related human rights.”
“USCIRF remains concerned about the troubling rise in societal violence experienced by religious minorities and human rights defenders at the hands of extremist groups seeking to enforce one version of religious orthodoxy,” the open letter signed by chair Leonard Leo read. “Too often the police and local government officials tolerate or aid this violence and courts do not sufficiently punish perpetrators.”
The group listed a number of incidents over the past several months, including the forced closure of a church in West Java, the suicide bombing of a church in Central Java, Baha’is detained on charges of proselytizing in East Java, sectarian tensions reemerging in Ambon, and individuals who murdered defenseless Ahmadiyah Muslims were handed light sentences.
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Leo urged Obama to speak out publicly about why religious freedom protections were critical to bilateral relations and “pivotal to the development of free, prosperous, and peaceful societies.”
“We believe that the vast majority of Indonesians will warmly receive this message. We also urge the Administration to develop with Indonesia a regular human rights dialogue. Such a dialogue would establish a structure through which rule of law and human rights concerns, including religious freedom restrictions and violations, could be discussed.”
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