A pastor came under pressure from local Muslims in Indonesia on Christmas Eve to announce that Christmas services were cancelled even though his church won approval to hold the celebrations, sources said.
The Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services of the 70-member Indonesian Evangelical Mission Church (Gereja Misi Injili Indonesia, GMII) Bethlehem went ahead as planned in Sukasirna village, Jonggol District, Bogor Regency, West Java Province, despite the pastor’s announcement, delivered only to cool Islamist anger.
Pastor Irianto Budy on Dec. 24 was invited to attend a meeting organized by a Muslim group consisting of local governmental and religious leaders.
During the meeting, organizers stated that the church’s Christmas services should be banned due to potential attacks from outside hardline Islamic groups, though they provided no information about the nature of the prospective attacks or the identity of the assailants.
“I was asked to refrain from holding a Christmas celebration because there are potential attacks from outside or from hardline groups,” Pastor Irianto told Morning Star News. “Therefore, they [also] asked us to refrain from worshipping on Dec. 31 and Jan. 1, 2026. But Sundays are permitted.”
The ban, however, met with opposition in public statements by local religious leaders, including representatives of large Islamic organizations such as Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) in the Jonggol area. Nahdlatul Ulama is the largest cultural Islamic organization in Indonesia, with approximately 150 million members, while Muhammadiyah is the second biggest with about 60 million members.
“Our Muslim brothers and sisters came to support us,” Pastor Irianto said. “This proves that the spirit of religious solidarity and brotherhood remains strong among Indonesians. We are not afraid of the threats against us because God and the spirit of solidarity of our Muslim friends strengthen us.”
Pastor Irianto said the opposing Muslim group hadn’t expected the support of the larger Islamic organizations.
“They certainly did not anticipate that the Christmas celebrations would take place with such extraordinary support from our fellow believers and the authorities,” said. “Those who opposed the intolerant group’s actions condemned the intolerant group’s actions, then spread the information on social media, receiving significant public criticism.”
Facing the unexpected response, the opposing Muslim group on Dec. 24 forced Pastor Irianto Budy to say that the church had agreed with village officials, Public Order Agency officers and the local Indonesian Ulema Council to refrain from holding the Christmas services.
“I was indeed under pressure in the video, so I restrained myself from getting emotional and conveyed my message in a slightly diplomatic manner,” he stated, according to Wartapenariau.com. “I don’t want to say I was forced, but I was asked to deliver it. In the video, I used gentle language intentionally.”
Pastor Irianto said the spirit of religious solidarity remains strong among believers of different religions.
“Our Muslim brothers and sisters came to support us,” he said. “This proves that the spirit of religious solidarity and brotherhood remains strong among Indonesians. We are not afraid of the threats against us because God and the spirit of solidarity of our Muslim friends strengthen us.”
He added that his congregation has frequently received pressure and threats from Muslim groups.
Misdirected Letter
Pastor Irianto said conflict likely began after he sent a letter to the Sukasirna police chief on Dec. 24 requesting security for his congregation, common for Indonesia minority groups when holding large-scale religious events.
“We have experienced social pressure and threats,” he said.
Two church messengers, however, delivered the letter instead to the nearest Sukasirna Village Office, hoping it would be forwarded to the appropriate police later that day, he said.
“Apparently, the letter was made public by an irresponsible person who spread information about the Christmas celebrations to residents of Jonggol village,” Pastor Irianto said.
The person who leaked the letter and the Muslim group opposing the Christian services then held a meeting attended by Public Order Agency officials, village officials and members of the local Indonesian Ulema Council, he said. During the meeting, Pastor Irianto acknowledged that he was under pressure to cancel the service he had planned for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
News of the ban on the services was then widely disseminated. Against the Muslim opponents’ expectations, the local interfaith community including Muslim groups condemned the pressure.
“Those who opposed the intolerant group’s actions condemned the intolerant group’s actions, then spread the information on social media, receiving significant public criticism,” Pastor Irianto said.
The Indonesian Movement for All (PIS), an advocacy organization, stated that the meeting between Pastor Irianto and the Muslim opponents and officials lacked transparent legal mechanisms, court rulings and an alternative solution by the state for the congregation. The group asserted that the case was not merely an administrative matter but a constitutional issue.
“The 1945 Constitution expressly guarantees every citizen the freedom to practice their religion and worship,” the group stated. “The village officials and even the Public Order Agency do not have the authority to prohibit individuals from worshipping.”
The Indonesian Coalition for Religious and Worship Advocacy called on the Ministry of Religious Affairs to intervene and help resolve the conflict.
Pastor Irianto said the head of Sukasirna village had met with him on the afternoon of Dec. 24 following the community’s reaction and assured him that the Christmas celebrations would proceed safely. Police met with him on Saturday (Dec. 27) and assured him that all religious services, particularly those for New Year’s and Chinese New Year, would be closely monitored.
“The chief of police has promised that year-end and New Year’s services will be tightly secured,” the pastor said.
Indonesian society in recent years has adopted a more conservative Islamic character, and churches involved in evangelistic outreach are at risk of being targeted by Islamic extremist groups, according to Open Doors.
