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Updated 3/10/2010 11:24 PM GMT

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Indonesia

Court Reverses Revocation of Indonesian Church’s Building Permit

Published in 2010

JAKARTA, Indonesia, March 8 (CDN) — A court in West Java has reversed the revocation of a Catholic church’s building permit. The Purwakarta regency government had revoked the building permit for Santa Maria Catholic Church when Islamists threatened local residents and officials into ....

Muslim Groups Demand Closure of Large, Legal Church in Indonesia

Published in 2010

JAKARTA, Indonesia, February 25 (CDN) — Hundreds of Muslims from outside the area where a 600-member church meets in West Java staged a protest there to call for its closure this month in an attempt to portray local opposition. Demonstrators from 16 Islamic organizations, ....

Two Churches Forced to Close in Indonesia

Published in 2010

JAKARTA, Indonesia, February 4 (CDN) — Local governments have ordered the closure of two churches on Indonesia’s Java island. Under pressure from Islamist groups, authorities ordered Christian Baptist Church in Sepatan, Tangerang district, Banten Province to cease services. In ....

Two Partially Constructed Church Buildings Burned

Published in 2010

JAKARTA, Indonesia, January 29 (CDN) — Suspected Islamic extremists burned two church buildings under construction in a village in North Sumatra on Jan. 22. The attackers came from outside the area to burn the partially constructed buildings of the Huria Kristen Batak Protestan ....

Christians Most Hit by Religious Freedom Violations

Published in 2010

JAKARTA, Indonesia, January 21 (CDN) — A moderate Muslim research institute focusing on interfaith issues in Indonesia reported 35 cases of government violations of religious freedom – including 28 against Christians – and 93 instances of community intolerance of churches in 2009. ....

Massive Mob Protests Christmas Eve Service

Published in 2010

JAKARTA, Indonesia, January 4 (CDN) — More than 1,000 people protested the Christmas Eve service of a church meeting in a makeshift facility in Bekasi, West Java. Christians of the Filadelfia Huria Kristen Batak Protestan Church (HKBP) fearfully held their service, including the ....

Massive Muslim Mob Damages Church Building in Indonesia

Published in 2009

JAKARTA, Indonesia, December 23 (CDN) — Hundreds of Muslims celebrated the eve of the Islamic New Year last Thursday (Dec. 17) by attacking a Catholic church building under construction in Bekasi, West Java. A crowd of approximately 1,000 men, women and children from the Bebalan ....

Theology Students Withstand Threats, Illness

Published in 2009

JAKARTA, Indonesia, December 1 (CDN) — Some 1,000 seminary students are resisting efforts to evict them from the former municipal building of West Jakarta where they have taken refuge after Muslim protestors drove them from their campus last year. On Oct. 27 officials began ....

Seminary Students in Indonesia Evicted from Two Locations

Published in 2009

JAKARTA, Indonesia, October 30 (CDN) — In the past week hundreds of students from Arastamar Evangelical Theological Seminary (SETIA) were evicted from two sites where they had taken refuge after Muslim protestors drove them from their campus last year. With about 700 students ....

Islamists Bully Villagers into Revoking Church Permit

Published in 2009

JAKARTA, Indonesia, October 26 (CDN) — The regent of Purwakarta regency, West Java has revoked his decision to permit construction of a Catholic worship building in Cinanka village after Islamists threatened residents into withdrawing their approval of the project. Dedi Mulyadi on Oct. ....

Theology Students in Indonesia to be Evicted from Campground

Published in 2009

JAKARTA, Indonesia, October 20 (CDN) — Approximately 700 students from Arastamar Evangelical Theological Seminary (SETIA) are facing eviction at the end of the month from a campground where Muslim protestors drove them last year. Education will end for students who have been living in ....

Two Indonesian Churches Receive Bomb Threats

Published in 2009

JAKARTA, Indonesia, October 13 (CDN) — Two churches in the greater Jakarta area have received bomb threats. In East Jakarta, the pastor of a Batak Protestant Christian Church (Huria Kristen Batak Protestan, or HKBP) on Bogor Street received a threatening phone call before Sunday services ....

Islamic Groups Shut Down Worship of Church in Indonesia

Published in 2009

JAKARTA, Indonesia, October 5 (CDN) — Several Islamic organizations have pressed officials in a sub-district near Indonesia’s capital city to forbid Jakarta Christian Baptist Church to worship in a house, resulting in an order to cease services. The Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), ....

Church Wins Legal Battle to Worship in Building

Published in 2009

JAKARTA, Indonesia, September 29 (CDN) — Christians have won a court battle restoring the right to worship in their building in Depok City, West Java.Depok Mayor Nur Mahmudi Ismail on March 27 had revoked the building permit for a multipurpose building and house of worship for Gereja Huria ....

Christians Call for Rejection of Sharia-Inspired Bills

Published in 2009

JAKARTA, August 19 (CDN) — The Indonesian Council of Churches (PGI) has called for the rejection of two bills inspired by sharia (Islamic law). The Halal Product Guarantee Bill and the Zakat Obligatory Alms Management Bill, both under consideration in the Indonesian ....

Muslims Order Halt to Church Building in Indonesia

Published in 2009

JAKARTA, Indonesia, July 15 (CDN) — Members of several Muslim organizations joined a demonstration on June 27 to protest construction of a Huria Kristen Batak Protestant (HKBP) church building in Plaju, outside of Palembang, capital of South Sumatra Province. The South Sumatra ....

Church, Bible Students Fight Discrimination in Indonesia

Published in 2009

JAKARTA, Indonesia, July 7 (CDN) — Christians have stood up for their rights in two key cases the last few weeks in heavily Muslim Indonesia. Members of the Huria Kristen Batak Protestan Church (HKBP) in Cinere village, Depok, West Java appeared in court on June 29 to contest ....

Muslim Group in Indonesia Threatens Newly Elected Christian

Published in 2009

JAKARTA, Indonesia, May 18 (CDN) — An Islamic group in West Sumatra province, Indonesia, has issued threats against Dominikus Supriyanto, the only Catholic to win a seat in the district legislature in recent general elections, warning him that he should convert to Islam if he wants ....

New Building Site Found for Bible College

Published in 2009

JAKARTA, Indonesia, May 10 (CDN) — Officials of the Arastamar School of Theology (SETIA) in Jakarta are considering the purchase of a new campus site after violent protests last July led to the eviction of 1,400 students and staff members. Indonesian officials on May 1 inspected land ....

Mayor Revokes Church Permit

Published in 2009

JAKARTA, Indonesia, May 5 (CDN) — Church members in Depok city, West Java, are unable to use their church building after the mayor, citing protests from area Muslims, revoked a permit issued in 1998. Under a Joint Ministerial Decree (SKB) issued in 1969 and revised in 2006, all ....

Sharia-Based Laws Creep into Half of Provinces

Published in 2009

DUBLIN, February 2 (CDN) — As candidates hit the campaign trail in preparation for Indonesia’s presidential election in July, rights groups have voiced strong opposition to an increasing number of sharia-inspired laws introduced by local governments. They say the laws ....