Written by Sultan

Every person has the right to freedom of religion or belief, and no one should be forced to adopt and adhere to their own religion or belief. Religious freedom is guaranteed by the state through the Constitution.

Internal freedom is every person’s freedom to think, believe, and practice their religion. This freedom includes the right to adopt or choose a religion or belief, including the right to change religions and beliefs. External freedom, on the other hand, is every person’s freedom, either individually or in a community, publicly or privately, to express their religion or belief through teaching and worship.

No one can be subjected to coercion that would diminish their freedom to have or adopt a religion or belief of their choice. The state is obligated to respect and guarantee the freedom of religion or belief for all individuals within its jurisdiction, without discrimination based on ethnicity, skin color, gender, language, religion, or belief. The state must not reduce freedom of religion or belief under any circumstances.

Religious freedom is a person’s liberty to choose and express their religious beliefs without being pressured or discriminated against for that choice. For example, if I choose the religion of Islam, I should not be pressured to either adopt that religion or express my worship publicly.

So far, the atmosphere of religious freedom in Indonesia is generally quite good, although there are worrisome trends due to the emergence of attitudes that contradict these human rights. For example, a recent case in Indramayu involving the Al-Zaytun Islamic Boarding School, where the implementation of Islamic law was different, such as during prayer when men’s and women’s lines were mixed and the muezzin faced the congregation.

One of the things that has caused concern recently is that people who express a different form of religious diversity are considered to be disturbing the public. Yet, based on the principle of religious freedom, every individual should be allowed to practice their religion according to their own beliefs, as long as it does not violate the rights of others. This is enshrined in our laws: that every citizen is guaranteed the freedom to choose and practice their own religion and beliefs. If I am a Muslim and have a different understanding of Islam than other people who also happen to be Muslim, my freedom should not be restricted simply because my beliefs contradict the common beliefs and opinions within the Muslim community.

In response to the issues mentioned above, Cross-Cultural Religious Literacy (CCRL) emerges as an approach that offers peace through various programs and innovations for the Indonesian people, especially for its alumni. CCRL provides a platform for every person who wants to apply the attitude of mutual understanding. This is a breath of fresh air for educators.

When such differences are only met with criticism and objections, a problem may not arise. However, the problem occurs when these differences are met with the silencing of the rights of the group and the teachings that are deemed different.

In the Quran, Surah Ali Imran, it says, “There shall be no compulsion in religion.” This verse is often interpreted as the freedom to choose a religion, in the sense that no one is forced to be Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, or Muslim. However, once a person chooses Islam—this is the common interpretation—they are forced to follow a specific school of thought or group. Religious freedom here seems to be selective freedom.

In every religion, there are always dominant and official forms of belief represented by institutions. In the Islamic faith in Indonesia, for example, we know of organizations such as Muhammadiyah, Majelis Ulama, Nahdatul Ulama, Front Pembela Islam, and so on. Everyone within that religion is pressured and forced to follow the official opinions and beliefs. If someone differs from the official opinion, they will be ostracized or, more severely, they will be shunned or even expelled from the religion. In Islam, for instance, they may be considered apostates or have left the religion of Islam.

Religion has a function of uniting society. However, this integrative function should not shackle an individual’s freedom of expression. The acknowledgment of individual freedom in the midst of religion’s integrative function is very important, and it can become a middle ground to reconcile the two. Our country’s Constitution guarantees freedom of religion—the freedom to adopt a certain religion. What is still lacking is the guarantee of internal freedom within a religion.

Returning to the issue of religious discrimination, many Muslim groups consider those outside their own group to be misguided. Not only are these outside groups preached against as being misguided, but their places of worship are also sometimes vandalized, such as what happened to the mosques of the Ahmadiyya sect in the 1980s.

Ultimately, I agree with the view that religious freedom is one of the important pillars for a society that is open and progressive. I agree that an open society is a society built on individual freedom, where freedom of religion is one of its most important parts.