Martyrs' Children Suffer as Indonesia's Anti-Christian Persecution Escalates

By Allie Martin
(AgapePress) - A ministry that was formed to increase awareness of the persecuted Church worldwide is helping orphans in Indonesia, one of many nations around the globe where Muslim persecution against Christians has increased dramatically in recent years.

Some of the children of Christians martyred for their faith in Indonesia become homeless, while others are often left with poor relatives who may or may not be able to care for their needs. For this reason, the Indonesian office of Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) established a safe house for orphans. Still, VOM's Todd Nettleton notes, many of these orphans face an uncertain future.

"Children whose mother and father are killed by radical Muslims -- what do they do? How do they continue to get their education?" Nettleton asks. The answer, he points out, is a well-meaning but frequently impractical generosity on the part of relatives.

"The Indonesian culture has a great love for children, and so it's very common for family members to take in the orphans and to allow them to live with them," the ministry spokesman says. "But obviously that's a financial strain, and to continue your education costs money."

Orphans that are taken in by family members may be wanted and loved, Nettleton asserts, but the care and education of these children are still expensive. "So if the family is very poor, that's a very difficult thing," he says. "And if there is no family, obviously that's a difficult thing," he adds.

Meanwhile, the persecution of Christians is ongoing, with government officials in Indonesia helping to drive the violence and intimidation tactics being used against the Church. In the past 12 months, VOM reports, dozens of Christian places of worship have been closed by government decree.

"I think that the radical Muslims have gained more and more political power," Nettleton says, "and they have used that to pressure the government to support their efforts to close down the churches."

Indonesia's constitution purportedly guarantees religious freedom, and "the government talks a good game about religious freedom," the VOM spokesman contends, "but more and more in the last 12 months, we're seeing [that government officials] don't actually step up to the plate and protect Christians."

Voice of the Martyrs, headquartered in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, is a non-profit, international and interdenominational organization that seeks to aid, support, and advocate for Christians who are being persecuted for their faith in Jesus Christ. The ministry also works to fulfill the Great Commission and to educate the world about ongoing persecution of believers all over the world.

Allie Martin, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.

Residents block access to church during Sunday service

JAKARTA (Antara): Hundreds of residents of Griya Bukit Jaya housing complex in Bogor, West Java blocked access to a church when some 190 Christians began their regular Sunday service.

It was the first such incident after the revision last week of a joint ministerial decree on new houses of worship.

Religious Affairs Minister M. Maftuh Basyuni and Home Minister M. Ma'ruf signed the revised joint ministerial decree Tuesday, which replaced a controversial decree issued in 1969.

The former decree was considered highly discriminative because it required the consent of local administrations and most residents in the areas to build houses of worship.
Non-Muslim congregations complained that the decree has been used to discriminate against them. In the past two years, 23 houses of worship in West Java alone have been forcibly shut down on the grounds that the buildings lacked permits.

Antara news agency reported Sunday that the residents in the housing complex blocked access to the Pantekosta Church in Indonesia (GPDI) built in 1987, when the Sunday service was still taking place.

No further incident occurred as dozens of police guarded the church.

According to the minister, Fekky Tatulus, he built the church when the housing complex was only occupied by few residents, but the crowd argued that the construction of the church had violated West Java gubernatorial regulation issued in 1990, which was an elaboration of a joint ministerial decree issued 1969.

Minority religions are still unhappy with the new decree, saying that the decree's requirements will make it even more difficult for minorities to worship, and contend the state has no right to regulate the basic right to practice one's faith.

The decree, among other things, rules that new places of worship must have congregations of a minimum of 90 people, and receive consent of 60 people of other faiths living in the area. There also is a requirement to obtain permits from the local administration and the Communication Forum for Religious Harmony. (**)

Illegal logging threatens elephants in Indonesia

JAKARTA, March 25 (Xinhua) -- Elephants in Indonesia's Sumatra island continue to inch toward extinction as unchecked human encroachment and illegal logging have destroyed their natural habitat at an alarming rate, local media said here on Saturday.

Only about 2,000 elephants could be found in protected wilderness zones extending from the provinces of Lampung to Aceh, including the Way Kambas, Bukit Barisan Selatan, Kerinci Seblat, Bukit Tiga Puluh and Mount. Leuser national parks, according to the Jakarta Post.

About 100 elephants live in the Tesso Nillo National Park in Riau province in Sumatra island, but there are questions about how long this small population could be sustained as the forest is lost to oil palm plantations, pulp and paper companies, illegal logging and human settlements, the paper said.

Over the last 20 years, 182,140 hectares of forest have been lost in Riau province. The latest data shows the province only has 650,000 hectares forest left.

While authorities have announced a crackdown on illegal logging in the province, there has been little progress in stopping the crime, partly due to the lack of coordination between the provincial team heading the operation and local administrations, according to the paper.

Riau Governor Rusli Zainal said recently his administration was committed to fighting illegal logging, but admitted that "the lack of coordination is a constraint."

As the habitat is destroyed, the home range and food sources of elephants are reduced.

The opening of oil palm plantations in particular has led to inevitable conflicts between people and elephants, the paper added. Enditem