THE TANDEM PROJECT

http://www.tandemproject.com
info@tandemproject.com

UNITED NATIONS, HUMAN RIGHTS,
 FREEDOM OF RELIGION OR BELIEF

Separation of Religion or Belief and State

UNDER INDONESIA’S SURFACE, AN INTRICATE QUILT OF FAITHS

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Issue:  Indonesia’s UPR opportunity - reconcile Pancasila State ideology with Human Rights Standards on Freedom of Religion or Belief.

For: United Nations, Governments, Religions or Beliefs, Academia, NGOs, Media, Civil Society

Review: Review: Under Indonesia’s Surface, an Intricate Quilt of Faiths, by Norimitsu Onishi, New York Times: Thursday 18 February 2010. Indonesia: Universal Periodic Review & Freedom of Religion or Belief.

Excerpts: “About 90 percent of Indonesians are now Muslim, with only pockets of Buddhists and Hindus left. But Hinduism and Buddhism, Java’s dominant religions for a much longer period, permeate the society and contribute to Indonesia’s traditionally moderate form of Islam.”

“For more than a decade, proponents of a more orthodox version of Islam have gained ground in Indonesia. More and more women are wearing headscarves and more Indonesians are adopting Arabic-style religious rituals as fundamentalists press for a purge of pre-Islamic values and ceremonies. But Indonesia’s traditional Islam provides a counterpoint. ‘This is Indonesia,’ said Suwarsono Muhammand, an official at the Islamic University. ‘In the long history of Indonesia, we have proven that different religions can live peacefully.”

INDONESIA – Universal Periodic Review

Webcast: Indonesia Adopted Universal Periodic Review.
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/UPR/Pages/idsession1.aspx

UN UPR Working Group Report – Conclusions and Recommendations; Indonesia

http://lib.ohchr.org/HRBodies/UPR/Documents/Session1/ID/A_HRC_8_23_Indonesia_E.pdf.

The Indonesia Universal Periodic Report linked above includes Recommendations made by UN Member States who reviewed the Indonesia National Report and participated in Inter-active Dialogue with Indonesia that resulted in the UPR Working Group Report.

The Tandem Project Follow-up Recommendation:

National Reports for the Universal Periodic Review most often do not have enough information for a follow-up to International Standards on Freedom of Religion or Belief in Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) or the 1981 UN Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief.

The Tandem Project Follow-up Recommendation: Indonesia – Universal Periodic Review & Freedom of Religion or Belief.

“Pancasila the official government philosophy recognizes six religions in the Indonesian State.

Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Confuscianism are the six official religions. The Constitution accords “all persons the right to worship according to their own religion or belief” but states Indonesia is based upon belief in one supreme God.

“The Tandem Project Follow-up Recommendation encourages government, non-governmental organizations and civil society in Indonesia to sponsor projects that develop national and local approaches to freedom of religion or belief, based on integration, dialogue and education. Programs would recognize Pancasila as the official philosophical foundation of the Indonesian

State while developing programs to reconcile international human rights law and standards on freedom of religion or belief with Pancasila, as a follow-up to the Indonesia Universal Periodic Review.”

Pancasila: Philosophical Basis of the Indonesian State

http://www.economicexpert.com/a/Pancasila:Indonesia.htm

The criticism of Pancasila includes denying the rights of polytheistic religions, notably Hinduism, practiced by a significant minority of Indonesians, and some conservative Muslims for being too secular and inclusive.

U.S. State Department 2009 International Religious Freedom Report, Indonesia.

The U.S. State Department 2009 International Religious Freedom Report is an inclusive twenty page report is included in the attached Indonesia – Universal Periodic Review & Freedom of Religion or Belief.

Attachments: Under Indonesia’s Surface, an Intricate Quilt of Faiths; Indonesia – Universal Periodic Review & Freedom of Religion or Belief.