Overview:

• Islam is the state religion.

• There exists both an abused recognition system and a misused system of registration; the registration system only accounts for Islamic groups (called shuras). The structure of religious recognition in the country makes it legally and socially impossible for any type of non-Islamic group to freely and openly practice their beliefs and faith; the power of recognition is here being severely abused.

• Religious groups are not required to register, but religions other than Islam are nonetheless heavily restricted and normativist pressures from society perpetuate this. Hence, there exists significant contradictions in the constitution and in government policy in contrast to the realities of the society; this leads to a degree of an illusory situation whereby the government proclaims a narrative yet this narrative is not reflected in the society itself. The mass media law is perhaps the most deplorable demonstration of the government’s breaking of their commitment to freedom of religion or belief in their party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Positive elements:

• Nil.

Recommendations:

• Dismantlement of the abusive uses of recognition in the country.

• Use recognition as a means to spread awareness of the acceptability of the diversity of belief.

• Stop the use of systematic violence in order to achieve goals of restriction and censorship.