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Christianity Today, April, 2003 |

Bearing the Cross: Religious Cleansing

What you can do to help persecuted Christians in Indonesia

Jeff M. Sellers | posted 4/01/2003 12:00AM

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Suggested Action

The departure of Laskar Jihad and the Islamic Defenders Front from Maluku and Sulawesi provides a rare opportunity to offer positive encouragement to the government.

In those provinces, Indonesian officials must ensure the security needed for Christian-Muslim reconciliation and relief efforts for refugees. Christian-

Muslim conflict was the pretext for the Islamic extremist groups invading the islands; their goal was to restore peace by wiping out the Christians.

Write Indonesian officials, expressing gratitude for the steps the government has taken to broker peace agreements and fight terrorism. Encourage them to undertake security, resettlement, and reconciliation efforts in Sulawesi and Maluku, and to protect West Papua Christians against Islamic militias.

Amb. Soemadi D. M. Brotodiningrat
Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia
2020 Massachusetts Ave., N.W.
Washington, DC 20036
Fax: 202.775.5365

President Megawati Soekarnoputri
Istana Merdeka
Jakarta 10110
Indonesia

To support refugee resettlement efforts, call or send checks marked "Resettling Indonesian refugees" to:

International Christian Concern
2020 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.,
No. 941
Washington, DC 20006
1.800.422.5441

Pray for the safety of Indonesian Christians in the face of some continued mob attacks on churches, and for a return of their once peaceful coexistence with Muslims.

Related Elsewhere

Previous Christianity Today stories about persecution in Indonesia include:

Christian Villages Burn Again in Central Indonesia | Protective armed forces are withdrawn before the attack. (Aug. 20, 2002)

Christians Under Threat in Central Indonesia | Jihad fighters foiled in initial bid to massacre Tentena Christians. (Dec. 5, 2001)

The Hard-Won Lessons of Terror and Persecution | Overseas Christians reflect on painful experiences (Sept. 26, 2001)

Persecuted Indonesian Christians Evacuated | International Christian Concern and Christian Aid raising $1.2 million to rescue 7,000. (Mar. 19, 2001)

Indonesian Province's Anniversary Protest Controlled | Violence was anticipated from independence fighters who massacred non-Papuan Christians last month. (Dec. 4, 2000)

Christians and Muslims Still Fighting, Dying in Ambon | Governor, others decline to intervene in jihad attacks. (Oct. 4, 2000)

Indonesian Island Attacks Go Unnoticed | World ignoring plight of Christians in Ambon, visitors say. (Aug. 21, 2000)

Daily Life in the Maluku Islands: Chaos, Fear, and the Threat of Violence | Christians plead for international monitoring to prevent Jihad raids, and more aid for refugees. (Aug. 1, 2000)

Churches Pressure for Swift Action to Calm Maluku Violence | Indonesian army joining in attacks on Christians. (July 21, 2000)

Indonesian Religious Riot Death Toll Dwarfs 30 New Corpses | Death count has passed 1,700. (Mar.3, 2000)

Maluku Islands Unrest Spreads to Greater Indonesia | Violence on Lombok Island may hasten government intervention. (Jan. 25, 2000)

Ministries Intensify As East Timorese Refugee Camps Grow | Evangelicals working furiously to meet physical and spiritual needs. (Sept. 6, 1999)

Dozens Die in New Clashes | 95 killed in religious riots in Maluku province. (Mar. 1, 1999)

Christians Killed, Churches Burned | Muslim mobs vent their rage against Indonesian Christians. (Jan. 11, 1999)

Muslim Mobs Destroy Churches | 10 Protestant churches severely damaged in riots. (Sept. 16, 1996)

Previous Bearing the Cross columns have looked at persecution in: Nigeria, Egypt, Cuba, Turkmenistan, India, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Vietnam, Pakistan, Laos, North Korea, Sudan, Indonesia, and China.

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April 2003, Vol. 47, No. 4

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