ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the consequences of conversion to Christianity in Muslim society, with a reference to citizenship. Inter-religious violence and the subsequent regulations regarding religion are then examined. Particular attention is given to the Joint Ministerial Decree on the Houses of Worship issued in 1969 and its 2006 revision, the 1978 Ministerial Decrees on Overseas Aid to Religious Institutions and the Guidelines for the Propagation of Religion, and Law No. 8 on Pancasila and Social Organizations in 1985. Many argue that these regulations are either a victory of Islamists in reflecting Islamic values on the national legal system or disguised tools with which to smother Christianity in Indonesia. However, in this chapter, I aim to show that the regulations are in fact neither pro-Islamic nor anti-Christian. They have placed religion in the hands of the state by subordinating issues concerning religious practices to matters of state administration.
