Google – AFP, 25 December 2013
Indonesian
congregations from two churches attend a mass prayer outside
the presidential
palace in Jakarta on December 25, 2013 (AFP, Adek Berry)
|
Jakarta —
Hundreds of Indonesian Christians held a Christmas service Wednesday in front
of the presidential palace in Jakarta to protest at the closure of their
churches due to pressure by Muslim hardliners.
Some 200
people from two churches near the capital sang hymns, recited prayers and lit
candles by a busy road alongside three "Christmas trees" constructed
out of plywood and bamboo.
The
service, involving people of all ages from toddlers to the elderly, began under
the scorching sun and continued for hours even after the weather changed
abruptly and heavy rain fell.
Christians
are coming under increasing pressure from extremists in Indonesia, the world's
most populous Muslim-majority country, and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
has been criticised for failing to tackle the growing intolerance.
"We
want to remind our president once again that he has not yet resolved the issue
of religious intolerance in this country," Bona Sigalingging, a spokesman
for one of the churches, told AFP.
The
churches, in the cities of Bekasi and Bogor, were closed in 2010 by local
authorities who had come under pressure from Muslim hardliners.
Authorities
said it was because the buildings lacked proper building permits, although
rights groups say local governments are simply bowing to extremist pressure and
using the permit issue as an excuse.
As well as
Christians, hardliners in Sunni-majority Indonesia have targeted Muslim
minorities. Ahmadis have seen their places of worship closed and Shiites have
been subjected to violent attacks.
Ninety
percent of Indonesia's 250 million people identify themselves as Muslim
although the constitution guarantees freedom of religion.
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