![Picture](/uploads/2/9/0/1/29011453/9866066.jpeg)
Belief? A blessing or a Burden?
Whether you want to or not, believing is a choice all of us have, religious freedom is more than just a choice or right, its a way of life. Then? Why have to suffer because of the way you chose to live? Religious discrimination in Indonesia is a problem that has recently been getting out of hand. Militant groups of major religions harass the minorities of religions throughout Indonesia, often doing so in violent ways. The acceptance of these minor religions is an issue to those who follow a more popular belief. The problem that is currently taking place in Indonesia is something that the government needs to address immediately and pass laws that guarantee the freedom of belief and protection from others.
Militant groups in Indonesia have taken advantage of their governments distraction and took matters into their own hands. However these aren’t exactly the types of ways to solve a heated problem like this. There is an infinite number of cases in which people are attacked by others because of their belief, in some cases the attacks result in the death of a innocent person. Some may ask themselves, what of their police department, where are they? The sad truth is that in some cases the very same people with the job to protect them, find themselves involved in the attack instead. “Unaccepted Groups” have a hard time finding a place to worship because they get denied the chance to build a house of worship, many having to have their ceremonies outside where they are easy targets for others. Problems like these seem almost too barbaric and “old” and a solution is needed.
Efforts to change the current situation by the government has been to a minimal, the president is too much talk but no action, in some cases where the very same police just stands around and does nothing, needs to be changed. The change is obviously something thats not going to be done overnight, it's going to be a tough process since muslim and islamic influences play a big role in politics. Due to the political influences the people of Indonesia have an ID strip on their ID cards, these cards only recognize seven major religions-catholicism, hinduism, buddhism, protestantism, islam, and confucianism- and leave the rest as “senseless” beliefs. The discrimination that this causes is a big problem because it forces people to choose a religion that they may not be part of. In result, many suffer the consequences of stating that they do not want to be part of a group and often are looked down upon. Marriage is also very difficult, mix belief couples have hard times obtaining civil marriage documents in some cases they get completely denied.
With such complex and vast regions, Indonesia is a marvel at communicating with each other, yet the message and hope for equality in religious beliefs is slow, too slow. Not much is being done and people suffer from it every day, things like that I don't bother to care about can be the decision of a lifetime for some. It is important to have this equality and freedom not just because it is an international right but because everybody has the choice to belief. So even after a political answer is found, the job left will be to maintain that peace and teach that everyone and their beliefs are equal. The change will take time but at a steady pace it is bound to come.