Church members injured in Bekasi

 

Leaders of a church in West Java, Indonesia have demanded justice from police after an attack from Muslim protestors left at least a dozen people injured. As some 20 members of the Batak Christian Protestant Filadelfia Church in Bekasi gathered for Sunday worship on a church-owned plot of land in Ciketing on August 8, at least 300 members of the Islamic People's Forum (FUI) and the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) broke through a police barricade and ordered them to leave. When the church members refused, the protestors assaulted the group with sticks, stones and their bare hands. As many as 700 protestors reportedly took part in the attack on the congregation of 1,500 members. When church members decided to leave, the mob "hunted us down and hit us," a church leader said. Several church members required medical attention. The police chief, however, said he blamed the church members as he had warned them not to hold services in the area because they were disturbing residents. The church has filed charges against the FUI and FPI for assault and defiling a religion. (Source: Compass Direct)

Please pray the Lord's healing hand will be upon those who were caught in the attacks. Pray these Christians will not have a spirit of fear but rather a spirit of faithfulness. May their conduct be a witness for the gospel. Pray that Christians will be granted the freedom to meet together to worship.

Go to the Indonesia Country Report to find out more about the persecution of Indonesian Christians.

  • Country Information

    Population
    279,476,346 (2023 est.)

    Ethnicity (%)
    Javanese (40.1), Sundanese (15.5), Malay (3.7), Balak (3.6), Madurese (3), Betawi (2.9), Minangkabau (2.7), Buginese (2.7), Bantenese (2), Other (23.8)

    Religion (%)
    Muslim (87.2), Christian (9.9), Hindu (1.7), Other (0.9), Unspecified (0.4)

    Leader
    President Joko Widodo (2014)

    Government type
    Presidential republic

    Legal system
    Civil law system based on the Roman-Dutch model and influenced by customary law

    Sources: CIA World Factbook.

  • Pray for Indonesia

    Pray for the continued growth of the church in Indonesia, despite the intense opposition and persecution that has taken place. May the destructive plans of the enemy to eradicate Christianity be frustrated and nullified.

    Pray that whatever is intended for evil, God will turn around for good – causing such hatred and violence to not only discredit extremism, but to also compel many to seek salvation in Christ... including the perpetrators of persecution.

Indonesia News

  • Children Injured in Mob Violence
    A group of children are smiling and laughing. One is playing an ukulele.
    Children in Indonesia.
    Photo: ILO / Yodhi Prasetyo (cc)

    On July 27th, a violent incident occurred in Padang City, Indonesia, when several men attacked a prayer house, which was established to provide religious education to Christian children. Armed with sticks, the assailants ordered the believers to disperse, and then they proceeded to smash the building's windows. During the attack, two children (ages eight and eleven) sustained injuries after being struck by objects that had been thrown amid the violence.

  • Hundreds of Protestors Oppose Church Construction
    A street is lined with buildings and trees.
    Bulukumba Regency
    Photo: Wikimedia / Midori (cc)

    As the church in Indonesia continues to grow, opposition to the construction of various worship facilities remains a major challenge. One Catholic church in the Bulukumba Regency of South Sulawesi has been waiting for 45 years to receive a building permit. Although the congregation was initially granted permission in 1980, their permit was revoked following public protests. Since then, members of the church have attempted to secure approval for multiple locations, but each application has been met with rejection.

  • Young Boy Dies Following Tragic Bullying Incident
    A young boy is walking down a path surrounded by dense greenery. He is mostly silhouetted by the sunset shining between the trees.
     

    An eight-year-old boy, referred to as "KB" in Indonesia's local news reports, tragically died following a severe beating he received from a group of older male students at a school in Pangkalan Kasai, a village located within the province of Riau. According to various sources, the incident occurred because the boy was a Christian and belonged to a different ethnic group.