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Embattled Indonesian Church Forced to Celebrate Christmas in Private Home
Vento Saudale | December 26, 2011

Congregants of the GKI Yasmin church in Bogor held their Christmas service in the house of one of its members on Sunday. The site of the service was moved after their attempt to use the Yasmin building was thwarted by opposing Islamic groups. Suara Pembaruan Photo/Joanito De Saojoao Congregants of the GKI Yasmin church in Bogor held their Christmas service in the house of one of its members on Sunday. The site of the service was moved after their attempt to use the Yasmin building was thwarted by opposing Islamic groups. Suara Pembaruan Photo/Joanito De Saojoao
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Comments

jusdogin
7:21am Dec 27, 2011

D erfanty man I am with u but its always just chat chat chat words and its getting worser

D-erfanty
1:56pm Dec 26, 2011

I am a muslim and I am very disappointed that the central government has failed to ensure the religious freedom in this country. Government should also take actions against radical islamic organizations.


DrDez
12:17pm Dec 26, 2011

riamrt

Until the Christians start hurting the administration where it hurts... Their pockets. Once that happens watch how quickly the religious violence intolerance and biased laws remain and people who commit crimes in the name of Islam will be dealt with properly.

The time is rapidly coming, remember there are about 40 million Christians in Indonesia - whilst they have a minority mindset they are no minority


riamrt
10:18am Dec 26, 2011

How long this will continue? *sad*


RuleBritannia
10:03am Dec 26, 2011

Perhaps if we could all accept that religion started off as a way to explain things that couldn't be explained due to the limited knowledge that early people had, such as storms being a sign that the gods were angry, then we can realise we no longer need these beliefs as our knowledge is not limited and we have developed critical thinking skills that demand evidence and support for ideas. Just think, how many of the worlds problems would disappear overnight with the end of religions.


Bogor. The congregation of the embattled GKI Yasmin church in Bogor was forced to move its Christmas prayers to a member’s house after Islamic groups assembled at the disputed site and threatened to challenge the sermon on Sunday.

The service was slated to start at 9 a.m. in the sealed church on Jalan Abdullah bin Nuh, but the congregants went elsewhere after members of the Indonesian Muslim Communication Forum (Forkami), the Islamic Reform Movement (Garis) and the Bogor Muslim Community (KMB) objected to that plan.

The opposition protestors came to the church in the morning and shouted to guarding police officers and members of the public order agency (Satpol PP) to expel the congregation.

“On December 23, they were given a letter stating that they are banned from holding a prayer here. The letter clearly mentioned they can’t hold the service,” Forkami head Ahmad Iman said.

Garis head Majudien threatened to deploy his members to the location in a mass Muslim gathering known as tabligh akbar should the Yasmin congregation insist on holding the service there.

Police blocked the roads around the church and diverted traffic to other roads for security reasons.

The modest Christmas service was attended by Lily Wahid and Inayah Wahid, sister and daughter of the late president Abdurrahman Wahid, as well as representatives from GP Ansor, the youth wing of Indonesia’s largest Muslim group Nahdlatul Ulama, and the Asian Muslim Action Network.

A number of veiled female Muslims were seen at the scene distributing flowers to express support for religious freedom.

Inayah said the groups who continued to pressure the Yasmin congregation didn’t represent the true spirit of Islam, saying that the Prophet Mohammed himself lived in harmony, side by side with Christians and Jews in Medina.

“Now the diversity of Indonesia can be seen at this small house,” Inayah said.

The letter issued by controversial Bogor Mayor Diani Budiarto ordered Yasmin to move its service to a public building near the contested church, but the congregation refused to obey on the grounds that the building was not a worship venue.

“It seems that Diani Budiarto issued the letter to confront Yasmin’s congregation against those intolerant mass,” church spokesman Bona Sigalingging said.

The mayor earlier ordered the closure of the church, arguing that the founders had falsified signatures in the process to acquire a city permit.

The Supreme Court has ruled that the mayor must reopen the church, but the city government has continued to deny the congregation access to the building.

The central government has thus far failed to take a clear stance on the dispute.