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, sources said.
Claiming to have the backing of the entire area Muslim community, Muslim residents from the 01 neighborhood of 05 community unit in the Dukuh Kukun area of Babat Jerawat Urban village, Pakal District, Surabaya, assert that the address in 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 based on the composition of the area population.
“Therefore, the dispute between the community and the church must be resolved through deliberation,” he said, adding that this must take place under the strict supervision of the relevant government authorities, from the lowest to the highest levels.
Area Muslims who protested the church construction on Aug. 14 displayed three banners, one saying, “We, the Muslim residents of RW 05, specifically RT 01/RW 05, Dukuh Kukun, wish to preserve interfaith harmony; there is currently no agreement or approval from the residents regarding this church construction, so please resolve this matter first.”
A second banner read, “Do not accuse residents of being intolerant!!! This church is being built without the permission of the residents of Dukuh Kukun (RT 01/RW 05), an area that falls under our jurisdiction.”
The third stated, “We, the residents, are united in this stance. Please resolve the issue first. If the church authorities do not take action, do not blame us for halting construction.”
A resident who wished to remain anonymous at the RT 01 RW 05 community hall in Dukuh Kukun noted a discrepancy between the church location specified in the permit issued by authorities and the actual site where the church is slated to be built, Detik.com reported.
“The issue raised by the 01 neighborhood association side is why the construction permit was issued for the 07 neighborhood association area, while the church is actually being built within the RT 1 area,” the resident reportedly said.
Though questioning the legal procedures regarding the permit issuance and the location discrepancy, the resident stated there was no objection to having a church in the neighborhood.
“The church itself isn’t the problem. A place of worship might be needed, given that it is a CitraLand area,” the resident said. “The bottom line is that the RT 1 head said, ‘I don’t recall signing anything; how did this file get approved?’ That is how I understand the situation.”
Pakal District Head Zainuddin Fanani said opposition to the construction stems from a misunderstanding. He added that his office and other relevant parties are working to resolve the matter through dialogue with residents, Detik.com reported.
Tunjung Iswandaru, head of the Surabaya National Unity and Politics Agency, expressed a similar sentiment.
“The main issue is miscommunication. What is needed is simply communication between the residents and the church,” he said, according to Persatuan Indonesia untuk Semua in a video posted on Aug. 18, which garnered 98,000 likes and more than 8,396 views.
Surabaya Mayor Eri Cahyadi has urged the public not to frame the protest as an act of opposition against the construction of a place of worship.
“So, don’t say, ‘Oh, building a mosque gets rejected, building a church gets rejected’ – that’s not the case,” he explained, according to Lentera.co.
The mayor said rejection of the church construction must be viewed in the context of the housing development’s original plan, specifically regarding its environmental impact and potential traffic congestion within the residential area.
“We have to see if the church construction aligns with the original plan,” Eri told reporters at the Surabaya City Council on Aug. 14. “Every housing development or construction project has a site plan. That site plan requires environmental and traffic impact analyses, which take into account traffic congestion and other factors.”
Eri said he instructed his staff to re-examine the original site plan documents regarding the use of public facilities at the location.
CitraLand Surabaya Manager Maria Nancy Rosalina stated that the company fully supports resolving the issue through constructive dialogue.
“CitraLand management is aware of the situation regarding the planned construction of a place of worship in the CitraLand Utara area,” Rosalina told Detik.com. “CitraLand respects freedom of religion, community harmony, and all ongoing processes in accordance with applicable laws. We support a resolution through dialogue that benefits both parties so that construction can proceed smoothly in the future.”
Religious freedom advocate Permadi Arya, alias Abu Janda, expressed shock that opposition to the construction of a church was coming from a city like Surabaya.
“How is it possible to have church opposition like this in Surabaya? I thought the people of Surabaya were all sensible,” he said in a TikTok video. “And yet, they confidently write, ‘Don’t accuse us of being intolerant citizens.’”
Another Surabaya resident, Entras Wahju Djatmiko, described the opposition as an embarrassment to the city.
“Let’s find the main perpetrators and the masterminds; I’m sure they aren’t true locals of Surabaya,” Entras posted.
