Faith leaders, US official discuss church attacks

By Konradus Epa

Muslim extremists’ destruction of churches in Indonesia was the main topic discussed during a meeting between the US Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs and the Indonesian Committee on Religion for Peace (IComRP).

Maria Otero and 12 Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim, Catholic, Confucian and Protestant leaders met for 45 minutes in Central Jakarta on May 20.

“I reported about churches that were damaged, closed or had their permits revoked,” Theophilus Bela, IComRP secretary general, told UCA News after the closed-door meeting.

Bela, a Catholic layman, said Otero asked them about problems regarding interreligious relations in Indonesia. “We told her about the problems of building places of worship, especially churches.”

From January to May this year, “almost 20 churches were closed down or burned,” Bela said he told Otero.

He added that Otero said she would report the situation to President Barrack Obama and pointed out that a visit by Obama to Indonesia will help “improve relations between Muslims and the West, including relations between religions in Indonesia.”

Amidan, chairman of the Indonesian Ulema Council, on the other hand, said that not all Christians obeyed the rules when it came to establishing churches. He said some Muslims protested that houses, which were used for family prayers, were illegally converted to places of worship.

However, if a worship venue already has a permit, the government must act firmly against those who object to it, he stated.

In a separate meeting that day, the religious leaders also spoke out against the Draw Mohammed Day launched on Facebook the same day.

“We condemn the caricatures of Prophet Muhammad in Facebook because it insults Muslims,” said Father Antonius Benny Susetyo, executive secretary of the Indonesian bishops’ Commission for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs.

However, Din Syamsuddin, general chairman of Muhammadiyah, the country’s second largest Islamic organization, said Muslims must “not be too reactionary.”

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