Christians killed in a terrorist attack in Indonesia
Murad Makhmudov and Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
In Indonesia, you have approximately 30 million Christians in this majority Muslim nation and religious violence – and persecution – is a problem. On top of this, you have ethnic and cultural issues in various parts of the country – for example, in Sulawesi and West Papua. Therefore, the government of Indonesia is seeking to contain Islamist militancy in areas of heightened tensions.
However, the size of Indonesia and complex geographic range means that the central government faces an uphill battle. At the same time, indigenous Islam with its tolerant strain is under pressure from militant Islam that originally emanated from outside Indonesia – with the exception being ultra-conservative Aceh.
In the latest attack, four Christians from the Salvation Army were brutally killed by Sunni Islamists. One Christian was beheaded – a similar trait that Islamists use from Nigeria to Syria irrespective if they are killing Christians or Muslims.
The BBC reports, “A group of men wielding swords and guns attacked a Salvation Army outpost in remote Lemban Tongoa village in Central Sulawesi province on Friday morning.”
Homes were also destroyed by Islamists and a Christian prayer area was set alight. Obviously, Islamists seek to intimidate Christians to leave the area and to set off tit-fot-tat sectarianism.
The Salvation Army said, “Our hearts go out to our people who have been victims of evil, and to the families of those whose faith have caused such harm.”
The central government of Indonesia has sent special forces into the region. Hence, they will work alongside regional police forces in dangerous missions against Islamists.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-55140847
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