State Legal Response to Sectarian Conflict and the Protection of the Shia Community: The Sampang Case

Abdul Chair Ramadan

doi:10.58829/lp.11.2.2024.383

Authors

Abdul Chair Ramadan Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Hukum IBLAM (STIH IBLAM), Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58829/lp.11.2.2024.383

Keywords:

Freedom of Religion, Human Rights, Religious Conflict, Shia Community, State Legal Response

Abstract

The religious conflict involving the Shia community in Sampang, East Java, illustrates the complex interplay between freedom of religion, human rights protection, and the state’s obligation to address communal violence. This study aims to analyze Indonesia’s legal framework regarding the protection of the Shia community and to evaluate the state’s legal response to the Sampang conflict considering principles concerning freedom of religion and human rights. Employing a normative-juridical method, the study utilizes both statutory and case-based approaches. Legal materials are analyzed through a descriptive-analytical lens, linking legal provisions on religious freedom, human rights, and social conflict management to the dynamics of the conflict involving the Sampang Shia community. The analysis reveals that Indonesia possesses a robust normative foundation, anchored by the 1945 Constitution, Law No. 39 of 1999 on Human Rights, and Law No. 7 of 2012 on Social Conflict Management. However, the implementation of this framework faces challenges regarding effective protection, equitable law enforcement, prolonged displacement, and the restoration of victims’ rights. Consequently, the state’s response must move beyond merely halting violence toward ensuring substantive protection, rights restoration, and equal guarantees of religious freedom. The Sampang case highlights a gap between normative legal guarantees and the substantive realization of rights protection.

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