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Indonesia: Muslim protesters prevent church from holding services in rented room

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – Following a large protest by members of the Indonesian Muslim Alliance (AUI), a church in Medan, Indonesia has been prevented from holding worship services in a room it rented at a shopping mall for this purpose, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.

The Indonesian Christian Elim Church’s (GEKI) was granted permission to hold services in a room at the city of Medan’s Plaza Suzuya Marelan mall last year, ICC reports. However, in May a group of around 100 Muslim Alliance members held a protest at the mall, demanding the church be prevented from worshiping there.

When the mall property administrator did not immediately ban the church from meeting at Plaza, the Muslim Alliance staged an even larger protest this month. While Islamic groups have been allowed to hold religious events in the mall without incident, the Muslim Alliance protesters said the church should be banned on the grounds that the mall should be used for shopping only.

“Due to the backlash, the church cannot hold its worship services in the mall,” ICC said in its report.

Indonesia’s constitution allows for religious freedom, and Medan mayor Bobby Nasution told ICC he was surprised GEKI faced such opposition from the Muslim Alliance, ICC reports. Nasution added that his local authority had granted the church permission to worship in three other locations. “I also invite the GEKI congregation to worship in my office,” Nasution said. “Let us pray that a group of intolerant people does not tarnish the attitude of tolerance shown by the government,” Nasution added.

Muslim-majority Indonesia ranks 33rd on the US Open Doors World Watch List 2023 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.