Anti-Christian violence: extremists set fire to Protestant church in Poso
October 24, 2012: The city of Poso, in the Indonesian province of Central Sulawesi,
has been the scene of renewed sectarian violence against the local Protestant minority.
Overnight on Sunday, unknown assailants set fire to the Madele Pentecostal Church.
The quick intervention of the congregation stopped the fire from spreading and spared
the building from serious damages. The anti-Christian attack "occurred last night
around midnight," Poso Police Chief Eko Santoso said, confirming the sectarian nature
of the incident. Indonesia is the world's largest Muslim nation, but Poso Regency
(District) has a large Christian community. It saw bloody clashes that left thousands
of people dead on both sides until a peace deal was struck in 2002.
The fire
started when a collection box was doused with petrol and then set alight. Flames eventually
spread to the pastor's residence. Only the intervention of the fire department and
volunteers prevented the blaze from causing major damages to the two buildings. Rev
Aben thanked villagers, including "some Muslims," who came to rescue, playing a decisive
role in preventing the fire from spreading.
Yesterday, two car bombs also exploded
near a police traffic post, wounding three people, including two police agents on
duty at the time. Investigators believe the post was the target. "The terrorist group
used a sophisticated device in which they detonated the bomb remotely through a mobile
handset," one agent said.
In recent weeks, Poso has been the scene of renewed
sectarian violence. The port city has seen attacks against Christian-owned buildings,
including places of worship. Two law enforcement agents have also been murdered under
mysterious circumstances. They went missing whilst investigating a recent attack against
a prominent member of the Christian community. Their bodies were found after eight
days on the side of a road near a training centre connected to an extremist Muslim
group.
Between 1997 and 2001, Christians and Muslims were involved in a violent
conflict on Sulawesi Island and neighbouring Maluku Islands. Thousands of people died
and hundreds of churches and mosques were destroyed. Thousands of homes were also
razed. About half a million people found themselves homeless, 25,000 in Poso alone.
On
20 December 2001, the two sides reached a truce that was signed in Malino, South Sulawesi,
following a peace initiative by the government. The local population is evenly split
between Christians and Muslims.
Despite the peace deal, terrorist incidents
continued on and leaving a trail of innocent victims. One of the most horrific cases,
which caused indignation around the world, was the beheading by Muslim extremists
in October 2005 of three Christian girls on their way to school.