“This is an excerpt from a news article from Assist News Service.  This is the first time I’ve heard anyone hint that violence against Christians come from ordinary muslims.  It’s about time someone speak the truth.  We have been fed this lie by governments, and the main stream media far tooo long!  The Imam’s have been screaming for some time, that it is the duty of every muslim everywhere, to kill the Christians and the Jews.  Wake up!”

Ordinary Muslims

Morning Star News said that while Indonesia’s Muslim majority population of 232.5 million is believed to be largely tolerant, a trend is emerging of ordinary local Muslims leading violent attacks, not just outside extremist groups, the report found.

Many violent attacks were carried out with impunity by local Sunni Muslims, indicating that “the virus of intolerance” has trickled down from extremists to ordinary residents, Naipospos said.

On top of the list of non-state actors were “citizens,” responsible for 76 cases of religious freedom violations – as opposed to the extremist group Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), which was behind 24 cases, and the MUI, which was responsible for 25 cases, according to the report.

Morning Star News said state officials were involved in 154 of the 264 cases of religious freedom violations. The report says police officials were involved in 40 cases, followed by district administration officials at 28 cases.

Morning Star News reported that the 264 cases occurred in 28 of the country’s 33 provinces, the most volatile region being Java Island, where more than 2.5 million Christians live. Most of the Christians in Java are migrants from other areas who have come in search of jobs over the years.

West Java Province, where Bogor and Bekasi are located, witnessed the highest number of religious rights violations this year, with 76 cases. Next came East Java with 42 cases. West Java is home to about 520,000 Christians, East Java 1.28 million.

Morning Star News said Aceh Province, with the highest proportion of Muslims in Indonesia and partially governed by sharia law, recorded 36 cases in 2012. In Banda Aceh, the provincial capital, authorities closed down nine churches earlier in the year under the pretext that they were not legal. The churches, which remain officially closed, had been functioning for years.

Central Java Province, where about 650,000 Christians live, witnessed 30 cases in 2012. South Sulawesi, which has 803,000 Christians, recorded 17 cases.

Morning Star News said the report does not give an optimistic outlook for the year ahead. Regional elections are due in 2013, and preparations are underway for national elections in 2014. The politically active months ahead could result in a higher incidence of intolerance and violence, as parties are expected to use religion to woo Muslim voters and support of influential extremist groups, Naipospos warned.

Morning Star News said religious intolerance overall in Indonesia has been rising for the past five years. The Setara Institute recorded 135 cases of intolerance in 2007, 265 cases in 2008, 200 in 2009, 216 in 2010, 244 in 2011, and 264 incidents last year.

Theophilus Bela, president of the Jakarta Christian Communication Forum, told Morning Star News that his group recorded 75 incidents of intolerance and violence against Christians – actual and planned – across the country last year. The planned incidents were those his group prevented with the help of local authorities, he noted.

“Still, the actual number of incidents could be higher, as not all cases come to one group’s notice,” Bela said.

viaANS  Study Reveals Ordinary Muslims in Indonesia Violating Rights of Christians.

Categories: islamists, Religion of Peace

Tags: islamists, Religion of Peace