Indonesia Conference Directory

This article aims at explaining the competition between Muslims and Christians in Jayapura, Papua. The competition between the two religious groups happens not only in the spread of religious teaching, but also in the struggle of public spaces in Jayapura, Papua, such as the installation of religious symbols and the construction of religious facilities massively. The struggle for public spaces creates both conflict tendency and opportunities for constructive dialogue. This study shows that (1) the competition between the two groups results the thickening of religious identity, and (2) the struggle for public spaces occurs along with the implementation of special autonomy policies for Papua. Religious identity gets stronger and creates contradictory relationships, while the policy provides a broad space for Papuan Christians politically. Papuans have more open access on the control of the political sector, thus indirectly marginalizing the role and the existence of Muslim migrants in Jayapura, Papua.