Country: Indonesia

Group: Batak

Date: 4/17/20

Team: Erika Walker (lead), Vianney Mancilla, Colleen Clauss

The term Batak can refer to seven closely-related ethnic groups in Indonesia (Alas-Kluet, Angkola, Dairi, Karo, Mandailing, Simalungun and Toba) (Minority Rights Group, 2018). Due to Dutch colonization and conversion efforts in the 1800s, Bataks are predominantly Christian, although Indonesia as a whole is roughly 87% Muslim (Minority Rights Group, 2018). While Indonesia’s constitution grants freedom of religion, some existing and proposed laws can cause restrictions on the practice of minority religions that could include Christianity (Human Rights Watch, 2017). For example, a proposed “religious rights protection bill” would reinforce already-existing laws that restrict construction of houses of worship, including Christian churches (Human Rights Watch, 2017). Additionally, in 1992 the Indonesian government intervened in the Batak Protestant Christian Congregation’s selection of a church leader and appointed a known embezzler (Human Rights Watch, 1993). This resulted in protests and as well as detainment of roughly 60 church members (Human Rights Watch, 1993). Minority Rights Group also notes that Indonesian government policies exclude the Batak language from use in public life, including teaching in schools and in local administrations (Minority Rights Group, 2018). Both of these cases can be considered ethnocide because of the governmental restrictions on language and religion practices. Although no information was found in peer-reviewed literature, two non-profit sources had valid information, so the data quality was rated a 2.

Sources

  1. Human Rights Watch. (1993, January 25). Indonesia: Military Repression Against the Batak Church. Human Rights Watch. https://www.hrw.org/report/1993/01/25/indonesia-military-repression-against-batak-church
  2. Human Rights Watch. (2017, July 20). Indonesia: ‘Religious Rights’ Bill Would Harm Minorities. Human Rights Watch. https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/07/20/indonesia-religious-rights-bill-would-harm-minorities
  3. Minority Rights Group. (2018, January). Batak. Minority Rights Group. https://minorityrights.org/minorities/batak/