Islamic Defender Front stops masses and lessons in Catholic school near Jakarta
Catholics are accused of proselytising because they celebrate mass in school even though for many years local authorities have not allowed church construction.
Jakarta (AsiaNews) After tens of armed militants belonging to the Islamic Defender Front (Front Pembela Islam or FPI) rushed into the Saint Bernadette of the Child Jesus (Sang Timur) Catholic complex in Cileduk, Tangerang, Banten province (35-40 km west from Jakarta), church and school were closed and masses cancelled.
Following last Friday prayers at a local mosque during which inflammatory sermons were made against the Christian community at least fifty shouting Muslims attacked the Catholic complex. They burnt the front gate and blocked other exits as their numbers swelled to include even more militants, including tens of Muslim women. Under the threat of machete- and knife-wielding attackers, worshippers who were celebrating the Eucharist fled the church.
"In the name of peace and to avoid further provocation we left the church," one of the worshippers said.
Since trouble was brewing in the air police had already been deployed which prevented the worst from happening.
The parish priest cancelled yesterday's and today's masses. The school will also stay closed today and tomorrow because the Sisters of the Child Jesus who run it are too frightened to reopen it.
A local resident, Ms Ratna, said that she was deeply concerned for her children's safety since all of them study at the Sang Timur School. Some 3,000 pupils attend the FPI-threatened school.
Yesterday's incident was not the first one in the history of the Cileduk parish whose congregation is made up of mostly ethnic Chinese.
According to radical Muslims the church and the school are guilty of proselytising because the Catholic parish is located within the school compound. Both the Sister of the Child Jesus and parishioners reject the accusation. Local Christians do use the school's main hall for worship only because local government authorities have hitherto refused them the necessary permit to build a new church even though the site for the building has already been purchased and money for its construction has been raised.
In the last few years, Jakarta, Sulawesi and the Molucca Islands have been torn by inter-communal warfare between Muslims and Christians. The conflict ended with a peace accord in 2002. However, since then, there have been sporadic outbreaks of violence and intolerance. (MH)
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