Freedom of Religion or Belief in Challenging Religious Intolerance and Discrimination

Jakarta, MINA – Faculty of Religion, Culture and Society of the University of Groningen, and Mensen met een Missie (MM), Netherlands and Eco Bhinneka Muhammadiyah are collaborating to conduct research for the Joint Initiative for Strategic Religious Action (JISRA) on Freedom of Religion or Belief (FORB) in challenging religious intolerance and discrimination in Indonesia.

This event was graced by was 11 participants with various backgrounds of JISRA program, religious leader, youth, media, women, and environment activists. The joint discussion was held in Muhammadiyah office Jakarta, Indonesia on the 12 October 2023.

The discussion agreed that FORB is strengthened in the constitution of Indonesia where every citizen can practice their own religion such as praying. Freedom in religious tolerance is about respect and appreciation to other religions to practice their faith.

This research, conducted by the Research Team from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, aims to examine how religious actors approach discussions about the right to Freedom of Religion and Belief (FORB) within their own community (intra-religious), with other religious communities (inter-religious) and with other non-religious (extra-religious) actors, including government (national and international) and civil society (national and international).

Specifically, this research focuses on how religious actors navigate socio-political sensitivities related to concepts, practices, and discourses such as “religion,” “faith,” “freedom,” and “human rights” in cross-cultural contexts.(R/R1/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)