Release International

A new bylaw will require the people of West Sumatra to sit Koranic exams to graduate from school and even to get married -- regardless of their religion.

The ordinance, due to come into effect next year, will require all students from primary through to secondary school to take written and oral tests on the Muslim holy book. They will be tested on their ability to read and write passages from the Koran.

The ordinance was first proposed by the province's legislature and specifically by its Commission IV on Education Affairs. The commission's chairman Guspardi Gaus said it had been 'implemented in response to pressure from the governor, legislators and community figures'. The provincial governor, however, has yet to rubber-stamp the bylaw.

In defending the move against claims that it would discriminate against non-Muslims, Gaus said: 'Koranic education is aimed at giving people, especially the younger generation, good morals, so they won't be lured by drugs and other negative activities.'

AsiaNews reports that the bylaw is expected to apply to every regency in the province within two years. Some observers fear it is an attempt to convert non-Muslims to Islam.

• Pray that this ordinance can be modified so it applies solely to Muslims, rather than to the entire West Sumatran population.
• Ask God to bless His church in West Sumatra so it will grow even as the authorities discriminate against its members in society.

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