Worship Restrictions In Democratic States: Religious Freedom VS Religious Harmony in Indonesian Reform Era

Although democracy and human rights are inseparable, the practices of human rights’ promotion and protection in some democratic states, like in Indonesia, perform a reality that is far from ideal. The international community and national authorities have a comprehensive and legal basis for the promotion and protection of human rights, including the religious freedom. Nonetheles, as reported by the international organizations and non governmental organizations, the implementation remains problematic. Apparently, there is a gap between the international treaties, the policy made by central government and the implementation by local governments. To understand this gap and how to find solutions, this article deeply elaborates the violation of religious freedom in Indonesia by looking at the cases of worship restriction that significantly increased after the political transition in 1998, especially those addressed to Christian groups. By utilizing the concept of human rights protection this study analyzes the different perspective between the international communities and the Indonesian government with regards to the issue of worship restrictions. While the former focusses on the issue of religious freedom, the later uses the approach of religious harmony. Keywords: worship restriction, religious freedom, religious harmony, democratic states