ICC NOTE: If there would be anything positive to come from the recent terror attack in Indonesia it would be the call for various faiths to join together and fight to end global terrorism. Throughout Asia,  church leaders are calling for cooperation and raising awareness for their own stories of persecution. Church leaders in the Philippines are raising the issue of religious persecution from the radical Islamic group Abu Sayyaf  in Mindanao where Christians have faced violence for years. A Spanish-born missionary in the Philippines believes they cannot state they are completely safe with the threat of Islamic terrorism. We must come together in prayer and solidarity in condemning Islamic terrorism and to work towards the elimination of the threat they pose to the free world. 

1/15/2016 Indonesia (UCA News) – Church leaders across Asia have condemned the attack in Jakarta and are calling for a concerted effort across religions and societies to help end the scourge of terrorism.

“We have to work hand in hand to protect our people, particularly our young people, from any ideology that can harm society,” Father Paulus Christian Siswantoko, executive secretary of the Indonesian bishops commission for justice, peace and pastoral for migrant people, told ucanews.com.

A series of explosions and gunfire outside a Central Jakarta department store on Jan. 14 rocked the Indonesian capital killing at least seven people, five perpetrators and three civilians. At least 20 people were injured, including five policemen.

The terrorist group known as the Islamic State, or IS, claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Ridwan Habib, a defense and intelligence analyst from the state-run University of Indonesia, told ucanews.com that the attacks signal the presence of IS in Indonesia.

The bishops conference has not issued an statement about the attack yet but “we at the commission see the incident as being a lesson for us,” said Father Siswantoko.

Terrorism has penetrated society

This is because terrorism has penetrated society and therefore all social elements must work together to protect society, he added.

The Communion of Churches in Indonesia, the umbrella body of Protestant churches, called on Christians in particular and Indonesian society in general not to let terrorism tear down unity in the country.

“We must not surrender to all provocative actions that damages harmonious life,” they said in a statement.

Earlier, Ansyaad Mbai, the former director of Indonesia’s counterterrorism agency, told ucanews.com that Indonesians must not “fall asleep” when it comes to terrorism because there are already radical groups that promote violence against minority religions.

Meanwhile, Tribunnews.com reported that the police in Bali have beefed up security for several public facilities in the Kuta area, Denpasar, the capital of Bali province, including St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church.

Indonesia is no stranger to terrorist related violence. In 2002, a series of bombings took place in Kuta, killing 209 people, mostly foreign tourists and injured hundreds.

In the Philippines, which has also witnessed years of violence by the radical group Abu Sayyaf in Mindanao, the attack in Jakarta has caused “high concern” among Christians there.

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