Yogyakarta, Islamic extremists withdraw: the Marian shrine remains
In mid-July the fundamentalists had requested the revocation of the building permit granted by the authorities in February. The Catholics says that the decision to drop the charges was made "to avoid the climate of tension that has been created between those for and against." Since 2009, the Binuko family fights for the realization of the place of worship.
Jakarta (AsiaNews) - In a surprise move, the 39 Islamic extremists who opposed the construction of a replica of the Lourdes grotto in the Yogyakarta province have withdrawn their complaint. The decision was announced during the third session of the trial in the city court.
In mid-July last year, the men opposed a local Catholic family's wish to donate their land for the building of Giriwening sanctuary, under the management of the parish of the Holy Virgin Mary, Mother of Jesus in Wedi.
Agnes Dwi Rusjiyati, parish official, said the decision to withdraw the charge was taken to stop the climate of tension that has been created in the local community, now divided between those for and against the construction.
The Muslims demanded the revocation of the building permit (Izin Mendirikan Bangunan, IMB) granted by the head of Gunung Kidul district last February. The process for the construction of a non-Muslim place of worship in Indonesia is complicated and may take five to 10 years before obtaining permits.
Also, if it is a place of Christian worship, it requires the clearance of a number of residents (at least 60), as well as the consent of the village chief. Christian leaders had decided to remain silent on the issue of a building permit, but caution that it is not enough to ward off attacks and intimidation form the Islamic extremist fringe.
The first steps for the construction of the sanctuary date back to September 2009 at the behest of Binuko family and received an acceleration in 2011, following the visit of the former archbishop of Semarang, Msgr. Johannes Pujasumarta. The area has become popular in March of that year, when dozens of Islamic extremists set fire to the point where the shrine was to be located and blocked construction.
Over the years the Giriwening shrine became a place of pilgrimage for hundreds of faithful of Central Java, raising the religious tourism in the area.
Local sources explain that, more often than not, the Muslim fundamentalist fringes who denounce the construction of Christian places of worship are not locals but come "from outside", manipulating religious matters for political objectives.
Yesterday, there were reports that two Central Java Marian shrines have been vandalized by unknown assailants.
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21/12/2021 14:29
