ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the relationship between state and religion in Indonesia, followed by three case studies that illustrate the problematic nature of religious freedom and the troubles that beset minority groups: the Shi'as of Sampang; the Taman Yasmin protestant church in Bogor; and the ethnic Chinese across Indonesia. The Blasphemy Law gives substantial power to the government to interfere with religious affairs, thereby opening up the potential for human rights violations. Constitutional amendments asserted that indigenous citizens and those of foreign descent had equal status and rights. Indeed, it has always been fundamental to the idea of a democratic Indonesian state that abides by the rule of law that the rule of the majority of the Indonesian people who are, of course, pribumi and Muslim be tempered by the grant of rights and protections for ethnic and religious minorities.
