Islamic radicals attacked 200 Christians at a Catholic mass in Indonesia, including children, and forced a priest to flee the church after he was threatened by the mob who harassed him as he read the Bible during a memorial service.
Source: Muslim Radicals Attack 200 Christians at Indonesian Church, Harass Priest for Reading the Bible
JAKARTA, Indonesia – Police in western Indonesia say a would-be suicide bomber failed to detonate explosives in a packed church during Sunday Mass.
Source: Would-be bomber fails to detonate in Indonesian church
When a mob of Muslims swooped on a little church deep in rural Aceh in Indonesia this month, the local police were nowhere to be seen, although they had received warnings of a possible attack.
CHR Comment: The article points out that the Christian population of Aceh Singkil province has grown from 6% to 11% since 2000. That is a substantial change, which perhaps explains why Muslims, such as the Islamic Defenders Front, are growing more violent. Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, has a Christian governor. Christians and Muslims intermarry and convert to one another’s religions.
Source: In Indonesia, minorities under threat from Muslim hardliners
If you look to the left as your plane approaches the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport near Jakarta, one can easily see the 153-foot Christ Blessing statue in off in the distance in Manado City.
CHR Comment: Christians in the Aceh region face opposition from the Muslim majority. The region is governed by Sharia law. In October a group of Muslim’s carrying axes and machetes attacked a church in Suka Makmur. 8,000 Christians were “displaced”; one person, thought to be a Muslim attacker, died from a gun shot. Tensions are increasing in the capital, Jakarta, as Christians from outlying areas move into the city to find work. Attempts to start churches are being violently opposed or stopped through prejudicial regulations.
