Indonesia To Normalize Relations With Israel
Indonesia, the world’s largest Muslim nation, is to normalize relations with Israel, well-informed Israeli sources said Thursday.
Indonesia
Indonesia’s Top Islamic Body Bans Israel Products; Christians Concerned
Indonesia’s top Islamic scholars’ body has issued a fatwa, an Islamic decree, banning the purchase or use of products from companies linked to Israel or seen as supporting the Jewish nation.
Indonesia: Official charged with “intrusion” after illegally ordering church service to stop
An official on western Indonesia’s Sumatra Island has been criminally charged with “intrusion” after he entered a church service and illegally ordered the worship to cease, Morning Star News (MSN) reports.
Indonesia: Church allowed to reopen after 13 years of legal proceedings
After 13 years of legal proceedings, a church in Indonesia has finally been granted a permit and allowed to reopen after being shut down by government authorities in 2010, International Christian Concern (ICC) reports.
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.
Indonesia Stripped Of Soccer Cup After Rejecting Israel
Soccer’s world governing body, FIFA, says it has removed Indonesia’s right to host the Under-20 World Cup because the predominantly Muslim country objected to Israel’s participation.
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.
Bali Bomb Maker Apologizes For Killings
An Indonesian bomb maker convicted for his role in the deadly 2002 nightclub attacks on Indonesia’s resort island of Bali that killed hundreds has apologized to the victims’ families.
Indonesia Bans Extramarital Sex
Indonesia’s parliament has approved legislation that bans anyone from having extramarital sex and restricts political freedoms in the world’s largest Muslim nation.
Indonesia’s Mount Semeru Erupts, 2,000 Flee
Some 2,000 people were rushed to safety after Indonesia’s feared Mount Semeru volcano erupted Sunday, spewing a cloud of ash 15 kilometers (49,000 feet) into the sky, authorities said.
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 Quake Death Toll Rises To Hundreds; Christians Also Impacted
Rescuers on Tuesday struggled to find survivors of a powerful earthquake that rattled a highly populated area of Indonesia’s West Java province, killing and injuring more than two thousand people.
Indonesia Quake Kills 162; Hundreds Injured
A powerful earthquake shook Indonesia’s main island of Java on Monday, killing at least 56 people and injuring hundreds more, authorities said.
Moscow Denies Russian Foreign Minister Rushed To Hospital
Moscow on Monday denied Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was hospitalized for heart problems after arriving in Bali, Indonesia, despite several Indonesian officials confirming the treatment.
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.
China establishes extraterritorial policing of its citizens abroad
A new report by the Safeguard Defenders human rights NGO reveals that China’s ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has set up a worrying global policing program, including the establishment of police stations in New York City and Toronto, through which to establish extraterritorial control of citizens suspected of fraud and telecom crimes.
Nearly 200 Killed In Indonesia Stadium Stampede
The death toll of the bloodiest post-game clash in Indonesia’s recent history between riot police and soccer fans rose to at least 182 people, team members said.
Open Doors Founder Brother Andrew Dead At 94
Dutchman Anne van der Bijl, known as the “Brother Andrew” who founded Christian charity Open Doors and became a voice of voiceless persecuted Christians, has died, his group confirmed Wednesday. He passed away in the Dutch town of Harderwijk at age 94.
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.