Indonesian police apologize for house church raid

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent BosNewsLife, report from Jakarta, Indonesia

JAKARTA, INDONESIA (BosNewsLife) – Pastor of a Pentecostal church in northern Indonesia that was banned by Islamic village authorities said security forces apologized for having descends into his cults.

Ganda Sinaga, who heads the congregation of Efata in the village of Petalongan, in the district of Indragiri Hilir, on the island of Sumatra, has also received permission to build a religious building .

The 41-year-old married father, one of them, told BosNewsLife that construction is due to start this month on newly purchased land with the support of police and businessmen. local.

Its church is part of the Pentecostal Church of Indonesia or "Gereja Pantekosta di Indonesia" (GPdI), one of the main Pentecostal denominations in Indonesia. The developments came after local Christian villagers, and the GPdI leadership vigorously protested the church's ban.

Dramatic video footage of a recent incident obtained by BosNewsLife shows several police officers arriving as the pastor and dozens of Christians pray in a tent. One policeman says, "Why are you still praying here when we already agreed with you that you would stop services here." Standing behind the pulpit, Pastor Sinaga replies: "I was not there when you had this so-called agreement."

But a police officer made it clear that he would stop the service anyway, causing panic among the believers. We see a woman on her knees holding a leg of a policeman. "Help me. We only want to pray to God. Why are you disturbing worship? We are Indonesians like you. We have the right to worship!" She shouts.

Other moved Christians join her in imploring the security forces not to remove them from the tent. “We only pray; we don't hurt anyone. We only want to worship here. "Some are crying. One of them calls on Indonesian President Joko Widodo to intervene." Jesus helps us, "said another woman." Lord Jesus, help us in this situation . "

A police officer then demands that the pastor accompany them to question them. Believers are desperately trying to prevent the pastor's detention.

In the middle of the impasse, the pastor's desperate wife, Serti Pandiangan, falls in tears: "We only worship for two hours. Why are you doing this to us?

MORE CHURCH DIFFICULTIES

Efata is not the only one experiencing difficulties. In particular, Pentecostal and other evangelical churches have complained that the Islamic authorities prohibit their cults.
Christians say authorities are angry that an increasing number of Muslims are turning to Christianity in the predominantly Muslim Asian nation of nearly 270 million people. Ex-Muslims cited dissatisfaction with strict Islam and the love expressed by Christians for them as one of the reasons for turning to faith in Jesus Christ.

It is not an easy decision. "Many converts from Islam experience varying degrees of persecution from their families," rights group Open Doors said in a recent assessment. "This usually occurs in the form of isolation or verbal abuse," added the group.

Indonesia is under international pressure to allow more religious freedom in the country. Bosnian dialogue will be discussed next week when Dutch King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima meet with government and religious leaders in Indonesia, BosNewsLife learned.

The royal visit comes amid reports of the growing influence of Islamic extremists in the country. "The church in Indonesia has been destroyed by adversity, including deadly suicide bombings and the earthquakes that made Christians tremble," said Open Doors.

In 2018, 18 Christians were reportedly killed and many others injured in a coordinated suicide bombing attack against three churches in the city of Surabaya.

RADICAL ISLAMIC GROUPS

That same year, at least 11 crosses at the Giriloyo public cemetery in Magelang, central Java, were desecrated by unknown perpetrators, the Christians said.

The destruction came after villagers near the city of Yogyakarta demanded the removal of a cross from a Catholic grave, rights activists said.

"As the government tightens the country's blasphemy laws, most of the problems for believers and churches stem from confrontations with radical Islamic groups that continue to exert significant influence. In some hot spots like West Java or Aceh, evangelical churches often become the target of these groups, ”added Open Doors.

President Widodo has pledged in the past to work for more religious tolerance in Indonesia.

But critics say it has so far limited its policy to mainly economic reforms.