Permits will now be granted more easily and in a shorter period of time. The Interior Ministry announced that the process to obtain licenses should last no more than six months, reported AsiaNews.
The ministry is in charge of revising a 1969 decree which states that any religious community that wants to build a place of worship must get a permit from local authorities and residents.
Until now, such permits were hard to come by and many a request simply fell on deaf ears, forcing many worshippers to practice their faith under almost clandestine conditions, said AsiaNews.
Last year Muslim extremists forcibly shut down domestic churches in the Java West province. The incident was followed by threats and intimidations against the Christian community.
Indonesia has more Muslims than any other country.
