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Attacks on Christian Churches in Indonesia Rising: Activists
July 27, 2010

Attacks on Indonesian churches — such as the one pictured above in this file photo — are increasing, activists are warning. There have been 28 this year alone. (Antara Photo) Attacks on Indonesian churches — such as the one pictured above in this file photo — are increasing, activists are warning. There have been 28 this year alone. (Antara Photo)
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Reignmaker
10:34pm Aug 7, 2010

Charity and Tolerance is one path to consider ~~~ also in the news today :

LOS ANGELES — The disfigured Afghan teenager whose photo was featured on a Time magazine cover has arrived in California, where a foundation has arranged for reconstructive surgery.

The Grossman Burn Foundation in Los Angeles said Friday that 18-year-old Bibi Aisha arrived Thursday and is staying with a host family.

Aisha says her nose was cut off as punishment for running away from her violent husband.

KABUL, Afghanistan — Six Americans and two other foreigners on a medical mission were shot and killed by the Taliban who ambushed their vehicles in a remote part of northern Afghanistan, a charity said Saturday. German, Briton and two Afghans also slain in Taliban ambush on Christian charity workers

JusufAdi
12:18am Jul 28, 2010

Faith is personal choice, attacking other faith cannot be tolerated

JusufAdi
12:04am Jul 28, 2010

It's very sad country. After reading news on the issues from both Jakarta Globe and Jakarta Post, my conclusions for minorities group living in Indonesia to put aside "money (fund)" to pay for army or police responsible for the security in their communities at any events involving certain number of participants. As usual the army and police will deny that they ask for money, but we all know that in Indonesia everything based on 'musyawarah'

mondrik
7:04pm Jul 27, 2010

I'm not surprise to see these political and religious hatred interwoven acts lingering Indonesia for in fact it's Mr.SBY's real islamic hardliner stance. This is why he halted children voices during Children Day for in it contains religious freedom statement. We would see much worse than this throughout Indonesia...


gwatson
6:22am Jul 27, 2010

Same thing is happening in the US, but for Muslims in Christian-majority areas.

What's up with the world?

Jakarta. Indonesian human rights activists on Monday urged President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to investigate attacks on Christian churches, which they say have increased in the last two years.

From January to July, there were 28 cases of religious freedom violations by “intolerant groups targeting Christians,” up from 17 for the whole of 2008 and 18 in 2009, the Setara Institute for Democracy and Peace said in a report.

Based on reports by churches and the media, the violations — mostly by radical Muslim groups — include forced closure of churches, revocation and delays in issuing building permits, and attacks such as torching and damaging churches, the institute said.

“These incidents are a breach of law and human rights. The President and the government have been very silent on this matter and have not provided enough protection to citizens,” Setara’s deputy chief Bonar Tigor Naipospos said.

“The attackers have become bolder as law enforcement is weak. We can’t let the incidents continue as peace in the country will be jeopardized,” he added.

The attacks, which mostly took place in Jakarta and West Java province, have made Christians “scared and anxious,” said Parasian Hutasoit, spokesman for Huria Christian Protestant Batak Church Filadelfia.

His church in Bekasi, an outer suburb of Jakarta, was forced to close in January after Muslim residents held protests there, saying it was built illegally.

“More than a hundred came to the church and demanded we shut down. We felt intimidated and discriminated against. We just want a place to practise our faith in peace,” he said.

Indonesian lawmakers in June demanded the government outlaw a violent Islamist vigilante group that has threatened “war” against Christians in Jakarta and urged mosques to set up militia forces.

The Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) — a private militia with a self-appointed mission to protect “Islamic” values in the secular country — urged Bekasi authorities to introduce Islamic Shariah law and warned they would attack Christians unless the “Christianization” ceased.

Observers have said communal tensions could erupt into violence in Indonesia, a constitutionally secular country of 240 million people, 90 percent of whom are Muslim.


Agence France-Presse