Indonesia was once known for its moderate and diverse Islam, but extremism is on the rise. Anger over the perceived “blasphemy” of former Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (better known as “Ahok”), a Chinese Christian, brought more than 200,000 people to the streets in 2016 and eventually led to his imprisonment. In August 2017 the government announced plans to further tighten blasphemy legislation, though a month earlier it ordered the disbandment of Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir “to protect Indonesia’s unity”.
‘Worship in the woods’ a year after Islamic extremists destroy Aceh churches
Churches destroyed a year ago by Islamic extremists and police in Aceh Singkil – a rural ‘regency’ in Indonesia’s only Sharia-ruled province – have still not been rebuilt because of discrimination against Christians by local authorities, say church leaders. However, despite the troubles, church membership is climbing. Hardliners started destroying […]
Indonesia: Christian Governor accused of blasphemy
Thousands of hardline Muslims turned violent during a protest calling for the prosecution of Jakarta’s Christian Governor over comments he made about the Quran, . An estimated 50,000 demonstrated at a largely peaceful rally in the Indonesian capital on 4 November after the Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama said that Islamic […]
Sharia by-law in Indonesia ‘biased against poor’
Residents of the Indonesian province of Aceh, in north-western Sumatra, have complained that the implementation of Sharia there appears to disproportionately target people of low status. The Islamic criminal code stipulates punishments such as caning for actions outlawed under Sharia, such as homosexual activity, adultery, drinking alcohol, gambling, rape and […]
Indonesian laws thwart new church plans
Protestant church leaders in Aceh, Indonesia are pushing for consistent application of Islamic law in the province, after the destruction of 10 churches in the last nine months, . Last August, a mob burned down the Pakpak Dairi Christian Protestant Church, killing one person and forcing thousands of Christians to […]
Islamists close Indonesian church weeks after it opened
In 2010, Bogor’s GKI Yasmin church was sealed and padlocked by order of the mayor and city government. They now hold Sunday services outside the church, and stage monthly services outside Indonesia’s Presidential Palace. To date, they have held 115 such services.World Watch Monitor An Islamist group in Indonesia […]
Indonesian churches celebrate Christmas without building – or even tent
Ten churches were destroyed in Aceh in the month of October alone.World Watch Monitor President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo on 23rd Dec promised a safe Christmas celebration throughout Indonesia. It’s the world’s most populous Muslim nation, but only one of its provinces applies sharia. Ten churches were destroyed in this […]
Church attack routs thousands of Indonesian Christians
Authorities in Indonesia’s Aceh region have started to tear down churches following last week’s religious violence that left at least one person dead and forced thousands of Christians to flee. Clashes broke out after Islamic hardliners burned down a church in Aceh Singkil on 13 Oct. According to local church […]
Indonesian Christians flee violent attacks
A church has been burnt down and another targeted in Indonesia’s Aceh province. Clashes broke out between Muslims and Christians following the arson on 13 October in the world’s most populous Muslim nation. One person was killed and dozens injured, while thousands of Christians fled the province, reports UCA News. […]
Indonesian church holds 100th service outside Presidential palace
At the heart of the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation, in the megacity of Jakarta, Indonesia, a church this Sunday will hold its 100th open-air Sunday morning service next to a main road – because a city mayor is afraid to insist that a Supreme Court order is carried out. […]
Indonesia: Religious riot in Papua prompts church attacks elsewhere
Indonesia is the most populous Muslim nation in the world, but the island of Papua is mainly Christian.Courtesy Open Doors International Tensions have flared between Muslims and Christians in Indonesia – the most populous Islamic nation in the world – after a riot broke out last month on the […]