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Muslims plan to guard Indonesian churches on Xmas

Discussion in '2005 Archive' started by mioque, Dec 11, 2005.

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  1. mioque

    mioque New Member

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    JAKARTA, Dec 9 (Reuters) - Volunteers from Indonesia's largest Islamic organisation will guard churches across the world's most populous Muslim nation on Christmas amid fears of terrorist attacks on those places, the group said on Friday.


    Jakarta police have said they would boost security in the capital ahead of Christmas to avoid a repeat of 2000 Christmas Eve bombings on churches in several Indonesian cities, including in the country's capital.

    A youth wing affiliated with Indonesia's largest Muslim group Nahdlatul Ulama, some 40 million strong, told Reuters that members would guard churches for the coming Christmas festivities and it had persuaded youths from other religions to join the project.

    "We have an annual programme to set up posts to secure Christmas. For this year, I have contacted groups from other religions like the Hindhus and Buddhists and they have responded positively," said Tatang Hidayat, national coordinator of NU's Banser group, known for its military-like uniform.

    Hidayat said the volunteers would closely collaborate with existing police operations and the churches' own security.

    Around 17,000 policemen are expected to safeguard Christmas celebrations in Jakarta alone.

    The spate of bombings in 2000 killed at least 19 people, including a Banser member guarding a church in East Java.

    The attacks along with other blasts in recent years -- most recently on the tourist island of Bali in October when suicide bombers killed 20 people -- have been blamed on Jemaah Islamiah, a militant network intelligence experts call a Southeast Asian wing of al Qaeda.

    Around 85 percent of Indonesia's 220 million people are Muslim. Christians form the second largest religious group in the country as a whole, as well as in Jakarta.

    Although Indonesia has been relatively calm in recent weeks, many security analysts say threats of militant attacks still run high because police have yet to catch one of the alleged masterminds of previous bombings, Malaysian-born Noordin M. Top.

    Police last month killed Azahari Husin, another alleged Jemaah Islamiah leader, in a shootout in East Java province.

    AlertNet news
    http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/JAK263907.htm
     
    #1 mioque, Dec 11, 2005
  2. Joseph_Botwinick

    Joseph_Botwinick <img src=/532.jpg>Banned

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    Good news, but not surprising for those of us who have been willing to accept the reality that not all Muslims hate Christians, and that there are many Muslims who are not represented by the fundamentalist terrorist extremist factions of Islam, which is more of a political movement for Pan Arabism than religious Islam anyway.

    Thanks for sharing this with us.

    Joseph Botwinick
     
    #2 Joseph_Botwinick, Dec 11, 2005
  3. Bunyon

    Bunyon New Member

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    Finally,....Finally!!! I wonder what made it worth their while after all these many years of letting Indonesian Christians suffer terrible persecution.
     
    #3 Bunyon, Dec 11, 2005
  4. DavidsonBap

    DavidsonBap New Member

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    Joesph is correct. I think the real marvel is why so many Christians have not realized what Joesph and many others have. Historically, there are many instances where Muslims and other religions have lived in peace together.

    In this case, I think Indonesia is trying to follow the true spirit of Islam.
     
    #4 DavidsonBap, Dec 11, 2005
  5. LadyEagle

    LadyEagle <b>Moderator</b> <img src =/israel.gif>

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    #5 LadyEagle, Dec 11, 2005
  6. Bunyon

    Bunyon New Member

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    "In this case, I think Indonesia is trying to follow the true spirit of Islam."
    '
    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    I am sure that there are plenty of Muslims who don't want to be at war with the world. But either there aren't enough or they don't care enough, because they are not making a difference.

    As far as the "true spirit of Islam". It is, of course, anti christian. It is a false religion. Jesus said, "if you are not for me you are against me". Islam is against Christ and always will be no matter how much we want to think it is a benign religion full of sincere folks who just want peace.
     
    #6 Bunyon, Dec 11, 2005
  7. Joseph_Botwinick

    Joseph_Botwinick <img src=/532.jpg>Banned

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    There is a third option that you did not mention: The media doesn't cover them. They most certainly are making a difference in Indonesia and even in Iraq, unless you think all those tens of thousands of Iraqis who are dying fighting the terrorists in their country are Christians?


    As far as the "true spirit of Islam". It is, of course, anti christian. It is a false religion. Jesus said, "if you are not for me you are against me". Islam is against Christ and always will be no matter how much we want to think it is a benign religion full of sincere folks who just want peace. [/QUOTE]

    This is true, as it is true of all non-Christian religions in the world, including Judaism, Buddhism, and Hinduism.

    Joseph Botwinick
     
    #7 Joseph_Botwinick, Dec 11, 2005
  8. Bunyon

    Bunyon New Member

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    "There is a third option that you did not mention: The media doesn't cover them. They most certainly are making a difference in Indonesia and even in Iraq, unless you think all those tens of thousands of Iraqis who are dying fighting the terrorists in their country are Christians?"--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    I am sure that is a part of it, I just don't know how much and if it is significant. It seems to me the media is biased towards multicultureism not against it.

    "This is true, as it is true of all non-Christian religions in the world, including Judaism, Buddhism, and Hinduism.'-----------------------------------------------------------------

    That would be correct.
     
    #8 Bunyon, Dec 11, 2005
  9. Joseph_Botwinick

    Joseph_Botwinick <img src=/532.jpg>Banned

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    The media is more biased toward bad news which get good ratings.

    Joseph Botwinick
     
    #9 Joseph_Botwinick, Dec 11, 2005
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