Once again, is there still a government in Jakarta? The Yasmin Church of Bogor has a supreme court decision on its side, but the mayor and local thugs have stood in their way with impunity. It is standard operating procedure for Jakarta to turn a blind eye to homegrown abuse of non-Muslims, for that is the path of least resistance.
An update on this story. "Embattled Indonesian Church Forced to Celebrate Christmas in Private Home," by Vento Saudale for the Jakarta Globe, December 26 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):
Bogor. The congregation of the embattled GKI Yasmin church in Bogor was forced to move its Christmas prayers to a member’s house after Islamic groups assembled at the disputed site and threatened to challenge the sermon on Sunday.
The service was slated to start at 9 a.m. in the sealed church on Jalan Abdullah bin Nuh, but the congregants went elsewhere after members of the Indonesian Muslim Communication Forum (Forkami), the Islamic Reform Movement (Garis) and the Bogor Muslim Community (KMB) objected to that plan.
The opposition protestors came to the church in the morning and shouted to guarding police officers and members of the public order agency (Satpol PP) to expel the congregation.
“On December 23, they were given a letter stating that they are banned from holding a prayer here. The letter clearly mentioned they can’t hold the service,” Forkami head Ahmad Iman said.
Garis head Majudien threatened to deploy his members to the location in a mass Muslim gathering known as tabligh akbar should the Yasmin congregation insist on holding the service there.
Police blocked the roads around the church and diverted traffic to other roads for security reasons.
The modest Christmas service was attended by Lily Wahid and Inayah Wahid, sister and daughter of the late president Abdurrahman Wahid, as well as representatives from GP Ansor, the youth wing of Indonesia’s largest Muslim group Nahdlatul Ulama, and the Asian Muslim Action Network.
A number of veiled female Muslims were seen at the scene distributing flowers to express support for religious freedom.
Inayah said the groups who continued to pressure the Yasmin congregation didn’t represent the true spirit of Islam, saying that the Prophet Mohammed himself lived in harmony, side by side with Christians and Jews in Medina.
For as long as he had to.
“Now the diversity of Indonesia can be seen at this small house,” Inayah said.
The letter issued by controversial Bogor Mayor Diani Budiarto ordered Yasmin to move its service to a public building near the contested church, but the congregation refused to obey on the grounds that the building was not a worship venue.
There has been an ongoing ploy to attempt to entice the congregation to give in and move the site.
“It seems that Diani Budiarto issued the letter to confront Yasmin’s congregation against those intolerant mass,” church spokesman Bona Sigalingging said.
The mayor earlier ordered the closure of the church, arguing that the founders had falsified signatures in the process to acquire a city permit.
The Supreme Court has ruled that the mayor must reopen the church, but the city government has continued to deny the congregation access to the building.
The central government has thus far failed to take a clear stance on the dispute.
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"A number of veiled female Muslims were seen at the scene distributing flowers to express support for religious freedom".
While I think such actions could have made a difference in a different era I doubt it will help those Christians being assaulted and attacked today.
However, free nations world wide must step up and support these hunted Christians and Jews. Free nations should first learn and fully understand the Koran and hadith. Them they will understand what they are talking about. Right now the American legislators think Islam is similar to Christianity. These same legislators haven't a clue what Sharia Law is all about. They don't even understand the word jihad.
The lodgic of Islam is not impressed with followers from women whom are considerd second class citizens in most Islamic nations. Nothing like in the United States where women are the same as men in civil law and order. And so, flowers will never influance a preditor ideology.
Islam must be brought the table so as to debate each religion cover to cover and difend themselves using truth, commen sense, logic, and integrity. And then after we all understand each others religion better we can make up our own minds concerning which we choose to follow.
I'm better sure the Christian and Jewish religions will fit together nicely and make a great deal of sense. The Koran and hadith on the other hand is a 180 degress from both. If any Muslum disagrees with that then join us in supporting a debate published by the news media. Other wise I will consider Islam has something or things to hide.