Ministry of Religious Affairs

The concept of a specialized ministry for religious affairs was first formally proposed on July 11, 1945, by Mohammad Yamin during a meeting of the Committee for Preparatory Work for Indonesian Independence. His initial proposal focused on a "Ministry of Islamic Affairs" to specifically address the needs of Indonesia's Muslim majority. However, this proposal did not gain significant traction at the time.^{[ref-History-1][ref-Lintasan-2]}

A second attempt was made on August 19, 1945, in a session of the Preparatory Committee for Indonesian Independence. This time, the proposal for a Ministry of Religious Affairs was accepted by six out of twenty-seven members. However, dissenting voices, including Johannes Latuharhary and Abdul Abbas, suggested integrating religious affairs into the Ministry of Education or the Ministry of Home Affairs, respectively. Iwa Kusumasumatri agreed on the importance of religious affairs but opposed a separate ministry due to the national scope of government functions. Ki Hadjar Dewantara also suggested handling religious affairs under the Ministry of Home Affairs. Ultimately, this proposal was rejected, delaying the ministry's formal creation.^{[ref-History-1][ref-Lintasan-2]}

The third and successful proposal was presented to the Working Committee of the Central Indonesian National Committee on November 11, 1945, by K.H. Abudardiri, K.H. Saleh Suaidy, and M. Sukoso Wirjosaputro. This initiative garnered support from prominent figures like Mohammad Natsir and was accepted during committee sessions from November 25-28, 1945. Consequently, the Ministry of Religious Affairs was officially established on January 3, 1946.^{[ref-Lintasan-2]}

• Office of the Minister of Religious Affairs
• Office of the Deputy Minister of Religious Affairs
• Secretariat General: Oversees planning, employment, finance, organization, law, international cooperation, general affairs, and public relations.
• Inspectorate General: Provides internal oversight and audit functions through its various inspectorates.

• Directorate General of Islamic Education: Focuses on Islamic schools (Madrasas), Islamic higher education, and traditional Islamic education (Pesantrens).
• Directorate General of Islamic Community Guidance: Manages Islamic affairs, Sharia guidance, religious offices, Zakat, Waqf, and Islamic information dissemination.
• Directorate General of Christian Community Guidance: Oversees Christian affairs and education, including specific institutes.
• Directorate General of Catholic Community Guidance: Manages Catholic affairs and education, including specific colleges.
• Directorate General of Hindu Community Guidance: Handles Hindu affairs and education, including state Hindu universities and institutes.
• Directorate General of Buddhist Community Guidance: Focuses on Buddhist affairs and education, including state Buddhist colleges.

• Agencies: The primary agency is the Agency of Religious Moderation and Human Resource Development, responsible for strategic policy development, competency enhancement for personnel, appraisal of religious materials, and managing regional education and training centers.
• Centers: These units focus on specific areas such as Data and Information Technology, Religious Moderation, Confucian Guidance and Education, and Religious Education Funding.
• Expert Staff: Provide specialized advice to the Minister on matters related to Religious Bodies Relation, Information and Communication Management, and Law and Human Rights.