Ar-Rahman Mosque, Pekanbaru, Riau Province, Indonesia. (D.W. Fisher-Freberg, Creative Commons)

SURABAYA, Indonesia (Morning Star News) – Dozens of Muslim residents backed by police and a sub-district official on March 1 forced a halt to a church’s roof repairs.

The group demanded prior approval from area Muslims for repairs on the worship building of the Batak Protestant Christian Church (Huria Kristen Batak Protestant, HKBP) in Kulim Jaya village, Lubuk Batu Jaya Sub-District, Indragiri Hulu Regency, Riau Province, Sumatra island.

The incident highlights frequent tensions over religious freedom in Indonesia, where church renovations often trigger community objections even for legally registered sites.

At least 20 of the 70 Muslims forcefully entered the HKBP church building where roof repairs were underway, along with local police and the sub-district head, asserting the repairs could only proceed if the church obtained a permit.

A video circulating online shows one of the Muslim opponents stating that they are not forbidding worship, but that without permission for repairs, residents would oppose the church. A Christian woman responds, “We’re repairing the roof because our church is leaking. If it’s not repaired, where will we worship?”

The head of Lubuk Batu Raya Sub-District, identified only as Armin, told Riauonline that the opposition at the HKBP church was not a raid. He said there was mediation between residents and the church in 2024 and, as HKBP had not obtained permission when repairs resumed in February, the village head and community leaders requested assistance from the police chief to inquire about the permits.

“Essentially, residents just want the permit documents to be available and shown to the community before the church is repaired,” he reportedly said.

HKBP leaders have reportedly not applied for the repair permits as the site is in the middle of a palm plantation far from the population. Mediation meetings between the church, the sub-district Interfaith Cooperation Forum and residents were ongoing.

Church Pastor Faber Manurung said in a press statement that since construction in 1995, the wooden church building has suffered severe damage and was no longer safe.

“The church’s planks were rotten and crumbling, the roof leaking, and it was completely unsuitable and uncomfortable for worship,” he said. “We decided in February of this year to renovate the HKBP Kulim Jaya building.”

The church is officially registered with the Indonesian Ministry of Religious Affairs with all legal documents. Leaders have tried to renovate it since 2010, but area residents have prevented it.

The Central Leadership Council of the Indonesian Christian Youth Movement condemned the actions of Muslims who blocked the church repairs.

“We regret that these actions lead to coercion and intimidation of church members who are simply exercising their right to worship according to their religious beliefs,” said Sahat Sinurat, chairman of the Central Executive Board of GAMKI, according to gamkri.or.id.

The Indonesia for All Movement (PIS), a Democracy advocacy group, stated in a TikTok video on March 3 that violations of religious freedom are recurring.

“And the pattern is the same,” PIS’s Rizka Putri Abner stated. “When churches want to build or repair their church buildings, the excuses usually relate to permits and community approval. And in practice, the problems are long and tedious, even though the constitution guarantees religious worship.”

The Setara Institute of Democracy and Peace found 260 cases of violations of religious freedom in 2025 and 402 cases in 2024, Rizka said. The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), a human rights group, found 260 incidents and 42 acts of violation from December 2024 to November 2025; the Impartial, another human rights group, found 13 cases from December 2024 to July 2025; and the Coalition for Advocacy for Freedom of Religion and Belief found 183 cases in 2025, he said.

Fritz Meko, a motivational speaker and political observer, said the opposition cannot be generalized as a rejection by the local community of the church’s existence.

“Certain [Muslim] mass organizations are allegedly signalling the rise of the right-wing, with particular ideologies that position themselves at odds with moderates and even the state,” 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.

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