RELIGIOUS FREEDOM -- PAPUA CHRISTIANS PUSH TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 000105

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, EAP/ANP, DRL/IRF
NSC FOR E.PHU

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/17/2018
TAGS: PGOV PINS KIRF ID
SUBJECT: RELIGIOUS FREEDOM -- PAPUA CHRISTIANS PUSH TO
PROCLAIM "CITY OF THE GOSPEL"


JAKARTA 00000105 001.2 OF 002


Classified By: Pol/C Joseph Legend Novak, reasons 1.4 (b+d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: Manokwari--in Christian majority West Papua
Province--is considering a draft regional bylaw proclaiming
itself a "City of the Gospel." Supporters cite the special
place of Manokwari in the history of Christian missionary
activity in Papua. They also regard the bylaw as a response
to Islamic laws already enacted in several parts of
Indonesia. Opposition to the proposed law--which would (as
now written) restrict non-Christian religious
activities--comes from the Muslim community and also from
some Christians. Observers are worried that the proposal, if
adopted, could spark religous-based tension in Papua and
elsewhere. END SUMMARY.

GIMME SOME OF THAT OLD-TIME RELIGION


2. (SBU) Residents of Manokwari, the capital of West Papua
Province, are debating a controversial proposed ordinance. A
group of evangelical Protestant leaders in early 2007
proposed a draft "Gospel City" bylaw based on a
recommendation by the Papua People's Council (MRP). The MRP
identified three cities as "spiritual centers" of the major
religions in Papua: Manokwari for Protestantism; Merauke for
Catholicism; and Fakfak for Islam. In February 2007, Papuan
scholars, local government officials and religious leaders
began drafting the proposed bylaw. A draft was released to
the public in April 2007.


3. (SBU) The draft law, which proclaims "the Gospel as good
news," purports to give "mental and spiritual guidance" to
the people of Manokwari. It empowers the local government to
regulate religious expression in order to protect Manokwari's
status as a "city of the Gospel." Other provisions are also
controversial, including Article 26, which allows the
government to place Christian religious symbols in public
places and offices. Also drawing criticism is Article 30,
which essentially would allow the local government to
prohibit the construction of non-Christian houses of worship
near churches.


4. (C) In a discussion with poloff on the proposed law,
Protestant pastor Rev Karel Ereri remarked that it was needed
in order to give the government tools to fight "social ills"
like gambling, prostitution and drug use. The Manokwari
region is also the site where foreign Christian missionaries
first arrived in Papua to conduct evangelical work. Today,
Protestants remain a majority in the northern part of Papua
and many Papuans regard Manokwari as the spiritual center of
Protestant Christianity in the Christian-majority province.
(Note: Approximately 57% of Papua residents are Protestant,
21% are Catholic and 20% are Muslim. The overwhelming
majority of Muslims are migrants from other parts of
Indonesia or their descendants.) Given the status of
Christianity in the area, supporters assert that that legacy
needs the forms of state protection stipulated in the
proposed law.

NOT EVERYONE'S IDEA OF THE PROMISED LAND


5. (SBU) Papua's Muslim community has sharply criticized the
proposed bylaw. They object most strongly to a provision
allowing the local government to restrict where Muslim women
can wear Islamic dress. The proposed law's supporters have
hinted, however, that they are willing to drop this
provision. Muslims also worry that local officials will use
the ordinance to block the construction of mosques.


6. (C) Some Christian leaders oppose the law outright.
Father Benny Susetyo, director of the Commission for
Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the Catholic Bishop
Conference of Indonesia, told poloff that the bill was
"against the spirit of Indonesia" and could spell disaster
for the country's "interreligious co-existence." Contacts
have noted, for example, that radical Muslims could use the
existence of the law to argue that Islam must be the official
creed of those regions of Indonesia where it dominates (most
of the country, in fact).

JAKARTA 00000105 002.2 OF 002




7. (SBU) The Jakarta-based Indonesian Communion of Churches,
which is the umbrella organization of Papuan Christian Church
(GKI),also objected to the proposal for similar reasons and
sent officials to Manokwari to argue against it. This last
step angered the GKI leadership in Papua, and GKI later
withdrew its membership from the Indonesian Communion of
Churches.

FAITH VERSUS THE LAW


8. (C) Indonesia is a religiously pluralistic country, and
it is not clear whether the proposed law would pass legal and
constitutional muster at the national level. (Note: The
Indonesian Constitution provides for freedom of religion and
Indonesian law recognizes six faiths: Islam, Catholicism,
Protestantism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism.
Individuals must identify themselves as belonging to one of
the recognized religions on their national ID card.) The
Ministry of Home Affairs determines whether local government
laws are compatible with the Constitution and the Law on
Decentralization. Challenges against local laws can also be
made to the Supreme Court. Both bodies have been reluctant
to rule on religiously-based laws in other parts of the
country, all of which have been based on Islamic law. They
might be under more pressure, however, to review Manokwari's
Christianity-derived law given the influence of Muslim groups
in this Muslim-dominated nation.

NEXT STEPS


9. (C) The Manokwari parliament adjourned in December
without approving the proposed law, but plans to resume
debating the measure in late January. Supporters of the law
hope to enact it by the end of 2008. Jan Christianus
Warinussy, a lawyer and expert staff to the Manokwari
parliament, told poloff that lawmakers would delete the most
controversial articles of the bylaw. He stressed, however,
that supporters would not abandon the campaign for such a law
because they believed that "the Gospel leads Papuans from the
darkness."

CONCERN AMONG OBSERVERS


10. (C) Many Papua observers are wary of the proposed law.
Human rights lawyer and Papua Forum chairman Albert Hasibuan
told poloff that the proposed law was essentially a reposte
to Muslims who had enacted sharia-based laws in some areas of
Indonesia. He and other observers worry that, if passed, the
law will prompt militant Christians in Papua to push their
agenda further, thereby provoking a Muslim backlash. Such a
fear is not unwarranted, given past episodes of
interreligious violence in Indonesia, and the often tense
relations among ethnic and religious groups in Papua.

HUME