Release International

The elder of a West Java church at the centre of a licensing row is in a critical condition after being attacked.

Hasian Sihombing was on his way to the Batak Christian Protestant Church (HKBP) in Bekasi city on Sunday when he was stabbed in the chest and stomach by a motorcyclist, according to Compass Direct news agency. Church leader Luspida Simanjuntak was also hurt: she was attacked by a second motorcyclist wielding a wooden block as she tried to help Hasian. Eyewitness reports suggest up to eight people were involved in the attack.

A church member told Compass Direct that the culprits are believed to have taken part in recent protests against the church, which is facing stiff opposition from Islamist hardline groups. On August 8, some 300 protesters broke through a police cordon to attack church members worshipping in a field in the Ciketing area of Bekasi (Prayer Alert, August 20, 2010).

The congregation have been forced to meet outdoors since June when officials sealed the private dwelling which had previously housed them. They have been battling for years to gain official permission to rebuild after a church they constructed in 2000 was burnt down. Tensions between Muslims and Christians in Bekasi have been exacerbated recently by Islamist hardliners calling for Muslims to wage war on what they call the 'Christianisation' of the city (Prayer Alert, June 30, 2010).

Since the attack on Hasian and Rev Simanjuntak, Bekasi's mayor Mochtar Muhammad has reportedly offered the church the choice of two sites in the city where they could relocate.

Meanwhile, another HKBP church in Bekasi regency has won a major victory in its bid to be allowed to worship in freedom. Rev Palti Panjaitan's HKBP church is celebrating a court ruling this week ordering local officials to allow them to establish a place of worship. A local decree forbidding the church to engage in Christian activities in Jejalan village led to the church closure in January, after officials apparently caved in to pressure from Islamist groups. The congregation has been worshipping outdoors ever since.

(Sources: Compass Direct, The Jakarta Post)

• Pray for the swift recovery of Hasian and Rev Simanjuntak. Pray that their church will find a secure, permanent home soon.
• Pray that the regent of Bekasi will heed the recent court ruling in favour of Rev Panjaitan's church and issue an official permit so it can establish a place of worship.

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