Christians under threat in Indonesia

By Aussiegirl

The religion of peace strikes again. If only Islam would be as "tolerant" in their own lands as they demand that we be in ours.

The Australian: Jakarta turns blind eye to holy wars [October 10, 2005]

Indonesia's Christians fear going to church as authorities sanction sectarian violence, writes Sian Powell
October 10, 2005

FROM the recent suicide bombings in Bali, to the forcible closing of churches in West Java and persecution of so-called heretical and liberal Muslims, the march of militant Islam is leading to a sense of increasing intolerance across Indonesia.

In the province of Aceh, militants were this week out to commemorate the holy fasting month of Ramadan by menacing discos and bars.

As many as 23 so-called "wild" or unlicensed Christian churches in West Java have been forced to close by militant Muslims in recent months, according to prominent Christians, who fear they are facing a surge of bigotry.

Muslims considered insufficiently orthodox have also been under threat. Hundreds of militants recently attacked mosques, as many as 33 houses and a number of cars in Cianjur, West Java, because the property belonged to the "heretical" Islamic Ahmadiyah sect. Ominously, the militants say their actions are condoned by both the state and by peak Islamic bodies.