QANUN ACEH AND RELIGIOUS HARMONY: REGULATION OF NON-MUSLIM HOUSES OF WORSHIP IN ACEH

Aceh Qanun Number 4 of 2016 regulates the maintenance of religious harmony and the establishment of places of worship, with the stated aim of preserving social stability and protecting the rights of both majority and minority religious communities. In practice, however, its implementation is shaped by procedural requirements, divergent local interpretations, and forms of social resistance within Aceh's religiously plural context. This study examines religious harmony from a socio-legal perspective, focusing on the legal legitimacy of non-Muslim houses of worship and the operation of the Qanun at the local level. Using qualitative library-based research, the study integrates normative legal analysis with a comparative approach, examining Aceh Qanun Number 4 of 2016 alongside the Joint Regulation of the Minister of Religious Affairs and the Minister of Home Affairs (PBM) Number 9/Number 8 of 2006, supported by relevant scholarly literature. The findings indicate that religious harmony is shaped not solely by formal legal norms but also by the responsiveness of the Qanun to local social dynamics, community perceptions, and principles of religious moderation. The study argues that effective implementation requires a humanistic, inclusive, and participatory regulatory approach, allowing the Qanun to function not merely as a legal instrument but as a normative framework for fostering social cohesion and sustainable interreligious coexistence.