Indonesia Pledges To Facilitate Church After Outcry
Indonesia’s government says it will facilitate a place of worship for Protestant Christians in West Java after the forced closure of their church by authorities provoked an international outcry.
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Indonesia: Government authorities continue to shut down churches
Amid an ongoing spate of government-sponsored church closures in Indonesia, the Purwakarta Simalungun Protestant Christian Church (GKPS) was forced to give up worshiping and building a sanctuary in Cigelam Village because the Purwakarta Regency Government in West Java refused to issue the requisite permit and de facto shut the church down, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
Indonesia: Christians continually face opposition in building churches
Despite their constitutional right to freedom of religion, Christians in Muslim-majority Indonesia face an uphill struggle in obtaining the required permits to build churches: both the government and local Muslims oppose them.
Indonesia: Church allowed to reopen after local Muslims shut it down
In a remarkable piece of good news for persecuted Indonesian Christians, a church in Bandar Lampung has been allowed to reopen after local Muslim village authorities and residents interrupted a worship service and forced it to close down last month, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports. The Kemah Daud Christian Church had been in the middle of a Sunday service on February 19 when the disruption and subsequent closure occurred.
Indonesia: Christians prohibited from holding Christmas services
Authorities in Indonesia prohibited a building-less congregation from holding their 2022 Christmas services in a local shop as Christians continue to face uphill struggles in obtaining permits for church buildings, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
Indonesian churches organize disaster relief after Java earthquake
A group of Indonesian Christian churches and organizations rushed to assist their countrymen in the wake of a powerful and deadly earthquake that hit Indonesia’s Java island last week, Christianity Today (CT) reports.
Indonesia: Two government officials sign Islamist petition to block church building, violation of Indonesian constitution
In an apparent violation of Indonesia’s constitutional protection of religious freedom, two local officials in Java Island joined forces with Islamist organizations to block the construction of a Christian church building, the Christian Post (CP) reports.
Indonesia: Authorities deny church building permit in ‘unconstitutional’ move against religious freedom
Authorities in Indonesia’s province of Banten have denied the Protestant Batak Society Christian Church (HKBP) a permit to build a church, in a move described as going against the country’s 1945 constitution guaranteeing religious freedom, the Union of Catholic Asian News (UCA) reports.
Indonesia: Christian Pastor murdered in Papua province
A Christian pastor was among ten people murdered by separatist gunmen in Indonesia’s Papua province on July 16, the Christian Post (CP) reports. The West Papua National Liberation Army, or TPNPB, the military wing of Papua’s main separatist group, claimed responsibility for the killings.
Indonesia Jails Christian YouTuber For 10 Years
Christians urged prayers Wednesday after a Muslim-background Christian was sentenced to ten years in prison for “blasphemy” and hate speech in Indonesia’s West Java Province.
Indonesia: Christian sentenced to 10 years for posting videos critical of Islam
A Christian in Indonesia has been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for uploading Youtube videos that were critical of Islam, his former faith, Christian Today (CT) reports.
Indonesia congregation harassed by Muslim radicals
Churches in Muslim-majority Indonesia face continual opposition and, on March 23, Islamist protestors refused to allow the Huria Kristen Batak Protestant to hold a planned worship service at its shophouse in Bandung, West Java, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
Indonesia: Pastor risks further incarceration for criticizing Islam
A pastor in Indonesia who was previously imprisoned for posting a video of himself sharing the Gospel with a Muslim is again under police investigation for actions the government considers are insulting to Islam, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
Indonesia: Christian faces 10 years’ imprisonment for video criticizing Islam
Christian convert who has been in prison in Bali, Indonesia since August last year is facing a possible 10-year jail term for uploading a YouTube video that allegedly insults the Islamic faith, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
Indonesia: Local nurse is sharing the Gospel with patients
Advocacy and aid organization International Christian Concern (ICC) has shared that it has begun supporting a local specialty nurse in Indonesia who shares the Gospel with the patients she cares for in their homes.
Indonesia: Christian politician in custody for allegedly insulting Islam in a tweet
A Christian politician in Indonesia is in custody after being arrested for a January 4 Twitter post that was deemed offensive to Islam, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports. Ferdinand Hutahaean, a Democrat Party politician, could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted of hate speech.
Indonesia: Islamic radicals attack Christian home believing it to be a church
It was only recently reported that Islamic radicals in East Java, Indonesia, attacked and extensively damaged the home of a Protestant Christian man at the end of last month, apparently believing the house to be a church, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports. Indonesia’s Ministry of Religious Affairs has reportedly launched an investigation into the attack.
Christianity grows by nearly 1% in Muslim-majority Indonesia
The latest data released by the government of Indonesia suggest that the number of Christians in the Muslim-majority archipelago has slightly increased, a U.S.-based group has noted.
Indonesia: Christian tortured and beaten by Muslims in jail
A Christian man who was imprisoned in Indonesia for alleged blasphemy, has been beaten and tortured by a former police officer and other prisoners at his jail, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
Indonesia: Christian man charged with blasphemy after uploading Youtube video
Indonesian police have charged a Christian man with the imprisonable offense of blasphemy after he uploaded a Youtube video which went viral and caused offense to local Muslims, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.