Jakarta, Indonesia - THREE
Indonesian housewives face up to five years in prison for allegedly
trying to lure Muslim children into Christianity at a Sunday School
“Happy Week”.
Senior Christian figures claim that the prosecution is politically
motivated and part of a campaign of persecution by Islamic
fundamentalists against Indonesia’s Christian minority — about 8 per
cent of the Muslim-majority population.
The three women faced threats from a yelling mob of 150 fundamentalists
during a court appearance in West Java last week. It is claimed that the
women were teaching lessons in reading and writing to mixed classes of
Christian and Muslim children, taking them on trips to parks and
swimming pools, and rewarding them with treats such as pencils for
memorising Christian prayers and Bible verses. Many of the alleged
offences took place at a special Happy Week earlier this year, although
the lessons began in 2003.
A claim of “Christianisation” was made against the women by a
chapter of the Indonesian Council of Muslim Clerics, which alleged that
they enticed Muslim children to participate and that they had tried to
convert the children to Christianity by giving them gifts.
The three, Rebekka Zakaria, Ratna Mala Bangun and Ety Pangesti, have
been held in prison since May, charged under Indonesia’s criminal law
with using lies, deception or enticement to change a child’s religion.
They are evangelical Christians who belong to the Church of David’s
Camp in Haurgelis, a strongly Muslim fundamentalist area in West Java
which is about 2 per cent Christian.
They say that the Muslim children were friends of Christian youngsters
and were attending with the consent of their parents. No attempts were
made to convert them, they say.
Bambang Widjaya, the chairman of the Indonesian Council of Evangelical
Churches, said: “The main motive behind this is political.
Fundamentalists want to use this case to launch a political campaign and
rally support for their goal of implementing Sharia (Islamic law).
“The Government is too scared of Muslim voters to intervene. In many
areas Muslims are tolerant, but in other areas where there are
fundamentalists there is discrimination. Fundamentalists are growing in
influence in our country.
“These women have been terrorised by mobs, who have even tried to hit
them. They are not scared, however. They are very tough women.”
About 10,000 Christians were killed in Indonesia between 1998 and 2003
and about 1,000 churches were burnt down by Muslim mobs, according to
campaigners. Although religious conflict has eased in recent years
campaigners say that about 100 churches have been closed down in the
past five years in West Java.
SOURE: Article by Nick Meo ("The Times,"
July 25, 2005)
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