UK urged to press Indonesia on religion
ICC Note:
Indonesian president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is visiting London this week on an official state visit. Christian Solidarity Worldwide has taken the opportunity to urge Britain’s Prime Minister, David Cameron, to press the Indonesian president on issues of religious freedom, including the forced closure of Christian churches. On a recent visit ICC met with pastors of churches being forced to close by Islamic radical groups, who say they have little to no recourse with the government.
By Mike MacLachlan
10/30/2012 Indonesia (UCANews.com)- Rights group Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) today urged the UK government to use Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s state visit this week as an opportunity to discuss religious intolerance in his country.
The government should press the president to protect the rights of religious minorities and defend the rule of law, CSW said in a letter to David Cameron, the prime minister, and William Hague, the foreign secretary.
It said rising religious intolerance and human rights violations in West Papua were “matters of urgent and serious concern” which threatened to “undermine Indonesia’s progress as a democracy and a pluralist, tolerant nation.”
CSW expressed concern over forcible closures of churches by local authorities under pressure from extremists.
In one case, it says, the closure was in defiance of a Supreme Court ruling, which made it “a rule of law issue, not simply a religious freedom issue.”
…
“In his final term as president [Yudhoyono] has an opportunity to leave as his legacy a reputation to upholding and strengthening Indonesia’s tradition of pluralism.
“But he also faces the danger that he will be remembered as the president who failed to stop rising religious intolerance.”
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