Officials and Muslim clerics in a village in West Java Province, Indonesia have closed a prayer house, expelled an evangelist and indefinitely halted all Christian activities there, media outlets reported.
Citing lack of a worship building permit, state officials and Muslim clerics from the local chapter of the Indonesia Ulema Council (Majelis Ulama Indonesia, or MUI) closed the Immanuel prayer house of Bethel Tabernacle Church of Indonesia in Purbayani village, Caringin Sub-District, Garut Regency effective Aug. 2. The closure came in an order signed by the sub-district head, the sector police chief and the district military commander, according to Kompass.com.
Expelled from the prayer house – and the sub-district – under the order was a 43-year-old evangelist, Dani Natanael, and his son, a third-grade elementary school student, according to Kompas.com.
The order also forbade Christian activities by the church and stipulated that if the owner of the prayer house wishes to re-establish activities, the church must obtain permits. It ordered the church to “refrain from any anarchic actions that could disrupt public order and security,” meaning Christian activities, Kompas.com reported.
The forced eviction of the evangelist occurred after officials from the West Java Province Ministry of Religious Affairs documented the church’s religious activities based on its Reporting Certificate (SKTL, or Surat Keterangan Tanda Lapor), said Bethel Tabernacle Pastor Yahya Sukma.
The SKTL is an official document issued by the Ministry of Religious Affairs for multiple regions and religions that organize large-scale and extensive outdoor activities. The document may also require groups to obtain a police escort.
Before allowing officials of the West Java Provincial Department of Religious Affairs to gather information on the church’s activities, the Caringin Religious Affairs Office and members of the District Leadership Communication Forum went to the prayer house and removed the evangelist and his son.
“They then took Dani and his son to a hotel on Rancabuaya Beach at 11 at night,” Pastor Yaha said, according to lawjustice.co. “The reason was to avoid an attack [by Muslim extremists].”
Immanuel Prayer House’s temporary permit as stated in the SKTL expires in February 2026.
Pastor Yahya reportedly said that besides sealing the prayer house and expelling Dani and his son, the government also banned them from remaining in Caringin Sub-District.
“This ban on worship is a violation of human rights,” Pastor Yahya said, according to Tempo.co.
Dani reportedly said he was ready to leave the house and would not participate in prayer house or other Christian activities in Caringin District, Kompas.com. repoted. He and his son have reportedly taken refuge in Bandung Regency, according to Tempo.co.
Religious freedom advocate Permadi Arya, known as Abu Janda, expressed his sadness about the incident on his Instagram account on Aug. 12. He questioned whether it was appropriate for minorities to celebrate the Aug. 17 Indonesian Independence Day.
“This is today’s news. Is it still appropriate for us to celebrate independence when some Indonesian minorities are NOT yet free to worship in the western part of the country?” Permadi wrote.
He stated that legislation governing worship permits – Chapter 1, Article 3 of the Joint Decree of the Two Ministers – states that worship at home does not require a permit.
“According to Chapter 1, Article 3 of the Joint Decree of the Two Ministers, it must be understood that praying at home does not require permission,” he stated on his Instagram account. “Those who need permission are those establishing churches. Praying at home does not require anyone’s permission, and no one has the right to refuse, as the right to freedom of worship is protected by law.”
The Indonesian Christian Youth Movement (GAMKI) also strongly condemned the closure.
“As a result, approximately 20 Christian communities in Caringin District and the surrounding area are left without a house of worship,” GAMKI stated on its website, gamki.or.id. “If they wish to worship, they must now travel approximately three hours to the nearest house of worship in Garut or Pangalengan.”
The joint decree of 2006 states in Article 14, “Worship activities may be held in residences, meeting halls, or other places with the consent of the local community, as long as they do not disturb public order,” GAMKI noted. Therefore, “non-permanent places of worship are not required to have a building permit like permanent houses of worship, and in this sense, the eviction and closure of worship activities at the Immanuel prayer house have no legal basis.”
Catholic Bishop Antonius Subianto Bunyamin told the 2025 National Gathering of the Interfaith Harmony Forum (Forum Kerja Sama Umat Beragama, FKUB) and religious institutions in Jakarta on Aug. 5 that religious freedom is guaranteed in Indonesian law.
“There is no problem of tolerance in Indonesia – the law constitutionally guarantees it,” Bunyamin said. “Article 28E and Article 29 guarantee religious freedom by the ideals of the nation’s founders.”
Taking firm action against crimes committed in the name of religion needs to take precedence over debating cases of intolerance, the bishop said.
“Let’s continue to maintain harmony, uphold justice and build the nation with a spirit of unity for a peaceful Indonesia,” he 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.
