New bomb blast threat to Christians in Indonesia
-31/12/05
In spite of protection offe
New bomb blast threat to Christians in Indonesia
-31/12/05
In spite of protection offered both by government troops and supportive local Muslims, a new bomb blast in an area of Indonesia populated heavily by Christians has reignited fears of further atrocities.
Eight people were killed and 45 injured today as a bomb ripped through a crowded food market in the town of Palu on Sulawesi Island.
The Indonesian province has been plagued by sectarian violence in recent years. Many of the victims of the latest outrage are believed to be Christians. The attack occurred as people were preparing for New Year’s Eve celebrations.
Experts say the bomb appeared to be a homemade device, loaded with ball bearings and nails to maximize the number casualties.
Muslim leaders immediately condemned the atrocity. Their own communities have also been badly effected by the violence.
Security forces and the police say it is too early to say who was behind the attack, but it followed repeated warnings that members of the militant group Jemaah Islamiyah were plotting strikes in the world’s most populous Muslim nation over the holiday season.
The Indonesian government responded by deploying tens of thousands of troops nationwide to protect indigenous churches as well as places where tourists might gather.
Jemaah Islamiyah has been blamed for a series of bombings in Indonesia since 2000, including two strikes on Bali that together killed 222 people, many of them foreigners.
The group also stands accused in Christmas Eve church attacks five years ago that left 19 dead and many injured.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has condemned todayís blast. He urged police to investigate whether it was linked to other attacks on Christians on Sulawesi earlier this year, said government spokesperson Andi Mallarangeng.
Some 90 per cent of Indonesia’s 210 million people are Muslim, and most people practice a tolerant form of the faith. But attacks against Christians have increased in recent years, perpetrated by a militant minority.
Just under half of Sulawesi’s population is Christian. The province was the scene of fierce battles between Muslims and Christians in 2001 and 2002 that killed about 1,000 people, and despite a peace deal, bombings, shootings and other attacks on Christians have continued.
In October 2005, unidentified assailants beheaded three Christian high school girls in Poso, east of Palu. In May, two bombs in the Christian-dominated town of Tentena killed 20 people. Police have questioned several suspects in those attacks, but have not formally brought charges against anyone.
On Christmas Eve, bomb squads searched for explosives at churches in the capital Jakarta and its satellite cities, where thousands gathered to worship. Security forces also tightly guarded dozens of churches on Sulawesi.
[Also on Ekklesia: Muslims offer to guard Christian churches in Indonesia; Indonesian Muslims say violence is sin and heresy; Muslims offer Indonesian Christians sanctuary at Christmas; Indonesian Christians in fear after attacks and beheadings; Church agency condemns Indonesian human rights decision; Indonesian president in call for religious tolerance; The Asian Tsunami one year on; Aid agencies meet with Blair to discuss tsunami]
New bomb blast threat to Christians in Indonesia
-31/12/05
In spite of protection offered both by government troops and supportive local Muslims, a new bomb blast in an area of Indonesia populated heavily by Christians has reignited fears of further atrocities.
Eight people were killed and 45 injured today as a bomb ripped through a crowded food market in the town of Palu on Sulawesi Island.
The Indonesian province has been plagued by sectarian violence in recent years. Many of the victims of the latest outrage are believed to be Christians. The attack occurred as people were preparing for New Year’s Eve celebrations.
Experts say the bomb appeared to be a homemade device, loaded with ball bearings and nails to maximize the number casualties.
Muslim leaders immediately condemned the atrocity. Their own communities have also been badly effected by the violence.
Security forces and the police say it is too early to say who was behind the attack, but it followed repeated warnings that members of the militant group Jemaah Islamiyah were plotting strikes in the world’s most populous Muslim nation over the holiday season.
The Indonesian government responded by deploying tens of thousands of troops nationwide to protect indigenous churches as well as places where tourists might gather.
Jemaah Islamiyah has been blamed for a series of bombings in Indonesia since 2000, including two strikes on Bali that together killed 222 people, many of them foreigners.
The group also stands accused in Christmas Eve church attacks five years ago that left 19 dead and many injured.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has condemned today’s blast. He urged police to investigate whether it was linked to other attacks on Christians on Sulawesi earlier this year, said government spokesperson Andi Mallarangeng.
Some 90 per cent of Indonesia’s 210 million people are Muslim, and most people practice a tolerant form of the faith. But attacks against Christians have increased in recent years, perpetrated by a militant minority.
Just under half of Sulawesi’s population is Christian. The province was the scene of fierce battles between Muslims and Christians in 2001 and 2002 that killed about 1,000 people, and despite a peace deal, bombings, shootings and other attacks on Christians have continued.
In October 2005, unidentified assailants beheaded three Christian high school girls in Poso, east of Palu. In May, two bombs in the Christian-dominated town of Tentena killed 20 people. Police have questioned several suspects in those attacks, but have not formally brought charges against anyone.
On Christmas Eve, bomb squads searched for explosives at churches in the capital Jakarta and its satellite cities, where thousands gathered to worship. Security forces also tightly guarded dozens of churches on Sulawesi.
[Also on Ekklesia: Muslims offer to guard Christian churches in Indonesia; Indonesian Muslims say violence is sin and heresy; Muslims offer Indonesian Christians sanctuary at Christmas; Indonesian Christians in fear after attacks and beheadings; Church agency condemns Indonesian human rights decision; Indonesian president in call for religious tolerance; The Asian Tsunami one year on; Aid agencies meet with Blair to discuss tsunami]