Indonesia church demolished over lack of permit

March 22, 2013

2 Comments | Print | Email |

Reset Text smaller

BEKASI, Indonesia – The city government demolished a Protestant church in front of dozens of weeping congregants Thursday (March 21st), as Muslim protesters egged on workers and called the Christians "infidels", AFP reported.

Panjaitan (centre), minister at the Raman Sari Batak Christian Protestant Church, is comforted by his congregation as the church is demolished by local government officials in Bekasi on the outskirts of Jakarta on Thursday (March 21st). [Adek Berry/AFP]

Members of the 100-strong congregation accused the government of "criminalising our religion", and complained of growing intolerance in the world's largest Muslim-majority nation.

"My heart is aching ... our church can collapse but not our faith. We will continue to come here for Sunday Mass," a tearful woman told AFP.

The Bekasi government ordered the demolition, saying the church was built in October 2012 without a legal permit.

As bulldozers knocked down walls, police ran off 200 Muslim women who sneaked onto the church land to chant Qur'anic verses.

Do you like this article?

Reader Comments

CLICK HERE to Add a Comment

- dicky
  
  March 27, 2013 @ 11:03:00PM
- We as Christians regret the actions of the Bekasi city government which had demolished a Protestant place of worship. This may cause inter-religious war.
- Kohar Suwandi
  
  March 22, 2013 @ 09:03:47AM
- As a Muslim I deeply regret all the actions that have been done by the Bekasi Regency Government in demolishing Christian worship places in the area. Whatever the reason, the decision can trigger inter-religious disharmony which should be maintained by the government.
- sanam
  
  July 30, 2014 @ 01:07:11AM
- Thank you, Mr. Kohar. If there are some among your flock who share your views there would no longer be discord in this country