Hardline
Muslims in Indonesia’s conservative Aceh province Sunday demanded the local
government close 10 Christian churches, just days after a mob burnt down a
church, leaving one person dead and several injured.
Tensions are high among the ethnically and religiously diverse
population of Aceh Singkil district, raising the risk of further religious
violence in Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation.
The vast majority of Indonesians practice a moderate form of Islam, but
Aceh is the only province that adheres to Islamic Sharia law, putting it at
odds with the rest of the country.
“Ten churches have been identified as not having proper permits and
should be closed,” said Hambali Sinaga, head of the local chapter of the
hardline group Islamic Defenders Front, adding that the government had until
Oct. 19 to take action.
“We hope there will be no violence again tomorrow,” he said.
A mob of hundreds of people burnt down a small church in Aceh Singkil
last week, citing a lack of building permits, and forced thousands of
Christians to flee to neighboring villages.
One Muslim member of the mob was killed, authorities said last week, adding
that at least 10 people had been detained on suspicion of inciting violence.
The government has since deployed over 1,300 police and military
personnel, with hundreds more on standby, to patrol the streets and stand guard
outside other churches that dot the small palm oil plantations in the district.
“At the moment things are calm but we are on standby for any further
incidents,” said Saladin spokesman for Aceh police, adding that evacuees had
since returned to their homes.
Christian residents of the run-down district attended a service Sunday
right next to the charred remains of their church, under the guard of about a
dozen armed security personnel.
Local government officials and religious figures, including from the
Christian community, are scheduled to discuss the church closures Sunday. They
were not immediately available for comment. Reuters
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