ICC Note:

Church leaders in West Papua have organized against the growing wave of Islamic radicalism in Indonesia. Roughly 1,000 Christians and Catholics staged a peaceful protest against radicalism. Ethnic groups in West Papua are discriminated against as they are minorities in both ethnicity and religion. More Indonesians are moving to West Papua and bringing Islam in both its moderate and radical forms. This puts churches in a place where Christianity is the majority at increasing risk. The protesters also spoke out against the conviction of Ahok. One local pastor said, “Ahok is a victim of sectarian tension orchestrated by radical groups.”

5/18/2017 Indonesia (UCA News) – Christian leaders from the Guild of Papuan Churches have rallied against growing radicalism in Indonesia which they claim has penetrated the Christian-majority region.

Franciscan Bishop Leo Laba Ladjar led church leaders and more than 1,000 Christians in a peaceful protest in Jayapura on May 15.

There must be a concerted effort to free Papua from radical groups, he said.

“The presence of radical groups [in the province] has the potential to create conflict,” the bishop said, urging the government to disband groups such as the Islamic Defenders Front and Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia.

Papua has no record of sectarian violence but the presence of Hizbut Tahrir in the province has raised fears of conflict between Muslims, Christians and other religious groups. The central government is working to disband Hizbut Tahrir because it aims to establish an Islamic caliphate which is against Indonesia’s secular ideology.

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