Some 250 members from the Batak Christian Protestant Church (HKBP) in Bekasi, West Java, hold an open field service March 31st in front of their former church building. The church was demolished 10 days prior. [Yenny Herawati/Khabar].

As Indonesia continues to grapple with rising religious intolerance, a Christian group marked Easter in an unusual way – by holding their service in front of the country's presidential palace.

Muslim leaders, meanwhile, insist that peaceful co-existence and tolerance are the norm, despite tensions in certain areas.

The worshippers – numbering more than 200 -- who gathered Sunday (March 31st) outside the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta belonged to the GKI Yasmin congregation, which has been shut out of its church in Bogor, West Java. Municipal authorities revoked the church's building permit in 2008, allegedly under pressure from local Muslims.

"We want the government to allow us to hold services in our church. If this happens, it will open the eyes of the world that our country indeed appreciates tolerance and diversity," Veronica, a 34 year-old church member, told Khabar Southeast Asia after the service.

"We only want peace so that we can practice our religion as many others do," she added.

The event was not the only one of its kind. In Bekasi, West Java, around 250 members of the Batak Christian Protestant Church (HKBP) held an open field service in front of their former church building, which was torn down by the local government on March 21st – again, due to a dispute over the building permit.

"It is saddening to see this happen. According to Pancasila (the "five pillars" enshrined in Indonesia's official state ideology), we are equal," Pastor Simanjuntak Torang Parulian told Khabar.

Experts voiced mounting concern over what they saw as a deteriorating situation for religious minorities in the Muslim-majority nation. In a recent report, the Setara Institute of Peace and Democracy found that intolerance cases are on the rise. Between 2009 and 2011, they increased to 543 from 491. The numbers had already reached 300 by the first half of 2012.

Cleric: People from both faiths must work together

Muslim religious leaders say they too are concerned about the issue, and that both sides need to work together to resolve such disputes. Putera Arifin, a 42-year-old Islamic cleric in Jakarta, said that this incident should encourage Muslims and Christians to practice peaceful co-existence.

"We need everyone to stay calm in responding to this situation," he said. "If not, the situation will be even worse."

The government, he added, should act as a mediator to resolve the building permit problem and find a way to bring healing and reconciliation to Muslims and Christians in the conflicted region.

"To see them celebrating Easter including Good Friday outside is really touching. I hope there will be a solution for this problem," he said.

Muslims have "great respect" for others

Some say that despite the recurring cases, the overall picture of religious co-existence in Indonesia is a positive one.

Former Vice President Jusuf Kalla said Christianity is flourishing, with more and more churches being built.

The number of churches has grown by 130% while mosques have increased by 63%, he said at a Baitul Muslim Indonesia Headquarters anniversary event on March 29th.

"That is proof that Muslims have great respect for non-Muslims," he said.

But others take a less rosy view, saying recurring incidents show much more work remains.

"It is concerning to see individual's freedom of worship infringed upon day after day. I hope the government will seriously contribute some help for [addressing] this issue," said Antonius Benny Susetyo, who heads a religious relations commission that is part of the Bishops' Conference of Indonesia (Konferensi Waligereja Indonesia /KWI).