Religious freedom for Indonesian native faiths

Court recognises Indonesian native faiths in victory for religious freedom

·       Jewel Topsfield

·       Karuni Rompies

This story is from The Age of 8 Nov 2017

Dewi Kanti adheres to a traditional Indonesian religious belief system known as Sunda Wiwitan, which venerates the power of nature and the spirit of ancestors.

She is among perhaps 15 million native-faith followers in Indonesia who have been discriminated against for decades by Indonesia's policy of only recognising six official religions.

As it stands, Indonesians have had to list their religion as Muslim, Catholic, Protestant, Hindu, Buddhist or Confucian on their national identification cards –or leave the religion field blank.

But those who left their ID cards blank had difficulty registering their marriage, obtaining birth certificates, accessing employment as civil servants and applying for government services.

Now, in an historic victory for religious freedom in Indonesia, the Constitutional Court ruled on Tuesday it was discriminatory to require native-faith followers to leave the religion field blank.

Constitutional Court Judge Saldi Isra said this was not in line with the spirit of the 1945 Constitution, which enshrines religious freedom.

The court recommended that a seventh category be created – native-faith followers –  although the card would not specify the particular faith.

Sunda Wiwitan is one of several hundred native-faith beliefs across Indonesia. They follow an animistic system of belief but over time have been influenced by other religions including Hinduism and Islam.

Ms Dewi welcomed the Constitutional Court decision. "Our fight has borne fruit," she said.

"The most important thing is the restoration of civil rights especially for those who have been stigmatised. Under the repressive New Order regime, I was stigmatised as (following) a deviant sect. This is a realisation on the part of policymakers that there has been an abuse of our constitutional rights."

Despite practising a native Javanese faith, Ms Dewi's husband had been forced to put "Catholic" on his ID card so the couple could obtain birth certificates for their children.

She said it was almost impossible to know how many people still adhered to Sunda Wiwitan, because there were no administrative records.

"In 1964 there were around 10,000 to 15,000 of us," she said.

However, blasphemy laws passed in 1965 stipulated only six religions would be officially recognised.

"The New Order regime said it was compulsory for all citizens to follow a religion, this was a policy to fight communism because communism was regarded as atheist or not believing in God," said Bonar Tigor Naipospos, the vice chairperson of the Setara Institute for democracy and peace.

"Native faith was regarded as not believing in God because it was ethnocentric."

He said the Constitutional Court ruling provided protection to followers of native faiths and granted equality among followers of other religions.

Human Rights Watch Indonesia researcher Andreas Harsono said the court ruling marked the end of Indonesia only recognising six religions.

See also Wikipedia entry - Native Indonesians

See also SETARA Institute

Andreas Harsono - his website

See also Religion of Java

What do people in The West know about Buddhism, the Kadampa and the Dharma Protector?

Picture at left from here. 

Buddhism often seems to be portrayed as a peaceful tradition of sweetness and light.  The first thing to remember is that Buddhists - even the greatest teachers among them - are humans like the rest of us with all the positives and negatives that humanity embodies. As well, there is little widespread understanding of the many "denominations" within the Buddhist stream.  Even Tibetan Buddhism - which is most often recognised through the Dalai Lama - has many groupings.

Kadampa Meditation Centre, near Monbulk, in the Dandenong Ranges, Victoria

I knew something from my academic studies in religion of the great variety within Buddhism.  However, I knew nothing of the Kadampa tradition until I visited the Kadampa Meditation Centre in the Dandenong Ranges, east of Melbourne, with a friend who had a connection there.  It was there I got to hear about the Dharma Protector, Dorje Shugden.

Picture above from here

I was told about the Dharma Protector.  I was invited to an afternoon service and there I saw the representations of the Dharma Protector.  I was told by my friend's connection of the disloyalty of the Dalai Lama and the expression of the telling was, I felt, one of burning hatred for the Dalai Lama.  I was given a book to take home about the Kadampa and in this were pictures of demonstrations against the Dalai Lama by Kadampa across the world.

My feelings?  I hope the description of how I felt informed (as I was and continue to be) by my Christian sensibilities will not give offence.  I was stunned at the level of negativity to the Dalai Lama expressed to me.  I can only describe it as 'burning' or 'incandescent'.

Picture below is from here

The people I met at the Centre were fortyish and younger white Australians.  Christians, in the main, believe (and there may be exceptions in some parts of the world) that we have cast off animistic beliefs.  There is also a sort of "Christian animism". To see wooden representations of the Dharma Protector on an altar and having plates of food presented to them was, to me, stunning.  If this had been within the context of an indigenous culture, I think my reaction would have been different.  To see this in the context of modern Australia and modern white Australians was a shock and something I could not get my head around.

Huffington Post has published a review of a book referencing this dispute, The Dalai Lama and the King Demon by Raimondo Bultrini. Some comments by the Dalai Lama can be found here.