Authorities in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, have closed
down nine churches and six Buddhist temples in the past week following
mounting pressure from local Islamic groups, rights groups say, reports
Ucanews.All the religious sites are in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam (NAD) province in Sumatra where sharia law is implemented.
“Priests were forced to sign a document agreeing to stop religious activities [in their churches] because they don’t have building permits,” said Veryanto Sitohang, chairman of the Alliance of United North Sumatra, a human rights group.
“We were informed that intimidation was exercised when these signings took place,” he told ucanews.com.
The churches closed include buildings belonging to the Indonesian Bethel Church (GBI), the Pentecost Church and the Indonesian Christian Church.
Sitohang said all the congregations had met the requirements of a 2006 decree from the religious affairs and home ministries as well as a 2007 regulation set by the NAD governor.
“But it seems the local authorities didn’t want them to obtain a building permit,” he said.
The 2006 decree states that any religious community not part of the local majority must have at least 90 congregation members and approval from at least 60 people from other religious communities in order to build a place of worship.