SURABAYA, Indonesia — Muslims who have long opposed a proposed church building in East Java Province are using an administrative error as a pretext to halt its approved construction.
Claiming to have the backing of the entire Muslim community in the area, Muslim residents in the Dukuh Kukun area of Babat Jerawat Urban village, Pakal District, Surabaya, state that the address on the official permit documents does not match the proposed church site in the CitraLand housing complex. “Residents have known about the church construction plan since around 2013-2015. The plan was previously delayed due to opposition from the community.
Now, even though the RW [local neighborhood] head has granted permission, it is once again facing resistance from the community because the address listed for the church is incorrect,” a resident told Morning Star News on condition of anonymity. The church building was slated for construction in Neighborhood Unit (RT) 1, yet the permit was issued for a location in Neighborhood Unit (RT) 7.
“This discrepancy has led residents to conclude that the church has not obtained a valid permit,” the resident added. Attorney Hartony Edi noted that an official administrative decision cannot simply be revoked merely because dissatisfied people protest, as area Muslims did on Aug. 14.
“An administrative error at the lowest level occurring after the issuance of the Building Permit (IMB) does not constitute grounds for rejection that would invalidate a state administrative decision,” Edi told Morning Star News.
He added that the IMB is valid because it was issued by the mayor of Surabaya under the mandate of the 2006 Joint Decree of the Minister of Religious Affairs and the Minister of Home Affairs, based on a genuine need for the church given the composition of the area's population.