Christians are a tiny, embattled minority in Indonesia, as in other countries. There is a small and courageous community of Orthodox Christians in Indonesia, numbering around 2500 people.
For previous ChristianPersecution.com coverage of the persecution of Christians in Indonesia, see here.
“Christian Man in Indonesia Attacked by Islamic Radicals,” International Christian Concern, November 18, 2021:
11/18/2021 Indonesia (International Christian Concern) – An attack on a Christian man in Indonesia took place at the end of October, but only surfaced in recent days. The man is a member of the Protestant Huria Batak Church (HKBP) in Amansari, in the district of Karawang, East Java, Indonesia.
The perpetrators of the attack were a group of unidentified Islamic radicals. These radicals attacked the man’s house and extensively damaged it. The violence was triggered by rumors which spread among Islamic extremist groups that the man’s house was being used as a place of worship for Christians. Christians in Indonesia often turn to house churches, as they face great difficulties in constructing real churches since there are many government rules and criteria at play. For instance, interested parties need to submit the authorization of at least 60 residents to get the process moving forward. Even if they have the authorization, construction can still be interrupted and permits can still be revoked by the government, which faces pressure from Islamic extremists.
With respect to the attack on this man’s house and the perception that it was housing a church, several governmental and religious figures in Indonesia have issued statements or taken action following reports of the incident. The Synod of the Indonesian Protestant Church issued an official note on their website stating that the house where the attack occurred is a private residence, never used as a place of worship. It has hosted organizational meetings with laity, they said, but never worship services….
