In recent weeks, 23 churches closed in Java. From AP, with thanks to Sr. Soph:
JAKARTA, Indonesia - Vice President Jusuf Kalla asked Muslim militants to stop closing Christian churches after Christians complained that militants had shut 23 churches in recent weeks on the island of Java."It is the responsibility of all of us to stop such kind of violence," he told a gathering of Muslim leaders, urging them to promote tolerance.
Moderate Muslim leaders like former President Abdurrahman Wahid have urged the government to take stern action against militants involved in the incidents.
Wahid and Kalla might find jihadists more ready to heed their calls if they worked to refute the jihad ideology.
yes perhaps the vice president might also have a wee word with the police officers who accompanied those members of the "front for the defence of islam" as they went about their lawful business
"Vice President Jusuf Kalla asked Muslim militants to stop closing Christian churches..."
Pretty please? With sugar on it?
That's the way to 'deal' with the tiny majority of extremists!
I heard somewhere since September 11th, 2001 a tid-bit that went to the effect:
The very day that the Soviets invaded Afganistan the King ordered the only church in Kabul to be torn down.
The implication being that divine protection, such as it was, was withdrawn because of this action.
If this be so, the Indonesians should take a lesson from it.
And today they are construct more Mosques here in Indonesia than new homes for the victim of last decembers disaster
shiva,
I have a question about Indonesian history and Islam which you may be able to answer.
Does the Indonesian practice of "puputan" have sources in Islamic culture, or did it pre-date Islam in Indonesia?
A "puputan" was a suicide charge by Balinese nobility to defend their honor when all else was lost. The families of the court would put on ceremonial clothes, arm themselves with false weapons and walk directly into enemy gunfire.
http://www.gimonca.com/sejarah/sejarah05.shtml
20 years from now it will read
Michigan: Muslims asked to stop closing churches
Terminator:
As I remember the king was in Italy for either some medical attention or some conference when the Soviets invaded. So it is possible for him to have ordered the tearing down of the church before he left.
And no, I have no documentation. I only related something I heard and said so. Who, when exactly, or what venue I don't recall. It is only the details I related that stuck in my mind about it.
Firstly, the Soviets didnt 'invade' Afghanistan - they were 'invited' to help their puppet regime, the nominally 'socialist' government of Najibullah, which was completely unable to keep control of the country outside Kabl (does that sound familiar). Or at least thats my understanding of history - there certainly was no king, nabob, shaikh or imam involved.
Sorry, my mistake, Najibullah was the president at the end, not the beginning of communist afghanistan
http://www.afghan-web.com/history/chron/index4.html
"Moderate Muslim leaders like former President Abdurrahman Wahid have urged the government to take stern action against militants involved in the incidents."
King: Keywords here are 'miltants' and 'stern action against.' It seems that these words indicate that there are Muslims who reject the extreme, militant ideology and are working to mitigate it.
The State Department has a program for bulding new mosques in Indonesia. So the muzzys are tearing down the Christian churches and the US taxpayers are paying for new digs for the muzzies.
The muzzy infiltration at State is doing great! Almost as good as at the White House, where the Brotherhood and Hamas are so highly regarded.
King: Keywords here are 'miltants' and 'stern action against.' It seems that these words indicate that there are Muslims who reject the extreme, militant ideology and are working to mitigate it.
Prophet Geoff, BBUH (Beer Be Upon Him): 'Stern action'. Saudi-style? Oooh. A stern talking-to it is, then.
Stern responses by officials in any muslim country don't seem to ever make that pesky hatred of Christians in general and shirk in particular go away. Also strangely, the article doesn't report anything about the response of the average, run-of-the-mill, shake-of-the-hand-unless-you're-a-filthy-woman, muslim-on-the-street. Maybe the population is composed only of muslim leaders?
The real keywords here are "shut 23 churches" and "promote tolerance". Why?
Because "shut 23 churches" is part of islam. Destroying shirk. (Seriously, have you never read the Quran? What kind of Shi'ite are you, anyway? Maybe a Wahhabi like Brownfinger?)
And because "promote tolerance" means that the general inclination of the 'laity' isn't tolerance at present.
But, maybe, like you say, it's all the Christian's fault anyway. Damn that Inquisition! Ooooh, that Reconquista!
Your kung fu is not very strong.
Prophet Geoff
pwner of Ia