Release International

Indonesian Christians are calling on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to stem the tide of Bills and legislation which, they say, are ceding ground to Islamic law.

Church leaders are concerned by a rash of legislation at provincial level which discriminates against religious minorities such as Christians. And now they are lobbying against Bills inspired by Sharia or strict Islamic law which are currently being considered at national level by Parliament.

The Indonesian Council of Churches is particularly concerned by the Halal Product Guarantee Bill, which mentions Sharia several times as if Indonesia were an exclusively Muslim state. It is feared that if the Bill became law, the legislation could be used against those selling products without halal labels on them.

The impact of these measures would be to sow disunity between religious groups, says Ronald Naibaho of the Indonesian Christian Youth Movement. 'These Bills are a step backward and will lead to the isolation of different religions,' he told Compass Direct news agency.

Meanwhile, Christians' religious rights continue to be trampled upon. In the Malang district of East Java, Muslims successfully lobbied the mayor to withdraw a building permit from a Christian foundation planning to open an orphanage for disabled children in Batu. Opponents claimed the orphanage was a ploy to 'Christianise' the area.

(Sources: Compass Direct, The Jakarta Post)

• Pray that the Indonesian Government would take a stand for religious tolerance and liberty and resist efforts to extend the reach of Sharia in this nation.
• Ask God to bless the ministry of the Christian foundation whose plans for an orphanage have been thwarted.

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