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| Southeast Asia | |
| Indonesian Moslems Debate With Christians About Religion | |
| 2005-08-14 | |
| From Compass Direct, following up an earlier article. Hostile spectators filled a courtroom in West Java, Indonesia on July 28 as the fifth hearing in a controversial trial against three Christian women began. The women were accused of attempting to convert Muslim children through a Christian education program. Rebekka Zakaria, Eti Pangesti and Ratna Bangun insisted in court that the children had attended the classes with their parentsâ consent. At the close of the hearing, the lead prosecutor announced that the case would be transferred to the High Court. This move could considerably lengthen the trial process. The judge has scheduled the next hearing for August 11. During court proceedings, the prosecutor questioned the women about the activities and materials used in their âHappy Sundayâ classes for children from Babakan Jati elementary school. Bangun explained that the children prayed, read the Bible, sang and sometimes colored pictures. In response, Judge Hasby J. Tholib said the women should never have allowed Muslim children to attend the program. The three women are formally charged with breaching Indonesiaâs Child Protection Act. Bangun and Zakaria replied that they had been completely honest with the parents of children attending the program, and that there was no hidden agenda. .... Muslim hecklers in the courtroom shouted, âLiar! Liar!â .... The women launched the Minggu Ceria (Happy Sunday) program on Sept. 9, 2003, providing education for 10 Christian children. Within weeks, several Muslim children had asked to join the program. Zakaria said that the Muslim children attended with the verbal consent of their parents, and that most of the children had photos taken with their parents for church records. When Muslim leaders lodged an official complaint, however, these parents refused to testify in support of the women. A source who prefers to remain anonymous told Compass, âNone of them dare to come forward to say that they personally allowed their children to attend the program out of fear from their own Muslim brethren, especially now that the trial has started.â The morning of the most recent hearing, two truckloads of Muslim youth arrived. As the women left the courtroom, according to one observer, the youths shouted insults at them and called for the judge not to be âfooledâ by their testimony. Four truckloads of Muslim youth were also present at the first hearing on June 30. Students from a nearby Islamic boarding school stood in front of the courtroom shouting âAllahu akbar! (God is great!)â and âDeath to Christianity!â They also demanded a guilty verdict and the maximum penalty for the accused.
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| Posted by:Mike Sylwester |