Muslims Guard Jakarta’s Christians
In what is called “Operation Candle,” Muslim authorities in Indonesia are providing security to Christian churches in Jakarta during this Christmas season. It is part of the authorities’ goal “to move beyond physical security to include an ideological campaign against violent strains of Islam.”
During Christmas Eve 2000, “29 churches were bombed in an attack blamed on Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), a group that has been linked to Al Qaeda.” Earlier this year, three Christian schoolgirls were beheaded by masked attackers in Sulawesi. Other events in 2005 include Islamist mobs closing down 40 unregistered Christian churches, and the Islamic scholars’ council issuing “edicts condemning pluralism and interfaith marriages.” These are acts that are threatening Indonesia’s reputation for “religious tolerance.”
Tags: Christian, Christmas, church, Indonesia, Islam, persecution