Two church group attacks within 3 days of each other in Indonesia, which has the world’s largest Muslim population, have caused concern ahead of Presidential elections in July. They both occurred in Yogyakarta province’s Sleman regency; the province is in the central region of Java, the country’s most populous island.
During the first incident on May 29, over a dozen armed people in white robes attacked members of Santo Francis Agung Banteng Church while they were holding a prayer gathering in a member’s house. Julius Felicianus, the house owner, was not present during the incident; he rushed home right after his son texted him about the assault.
As he tried talking to the mob, eight people started to beat him, severely injuring him in the head and back. A few other members were assaulted, including an eight-year-old girl who was given an electric shock. Apart from the worshippers, Julius’ neighbour, a reporter from national media Kompas TV, was also beaten up, as he arrived to try to film the raid. Over the next few days, the police arrested three of the assailants, who are allegedly linked to the Islam Defenders Front. Keep reading
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Learn more about the persecution of Christians in the Mid East and around the world: visit the World Watch Monitor website.
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