The Muslim majority province of Aceh is led by Zaini Abdullah. He has based his political fortune on the ‘full application’ of sharia. Jakarta demands the governor respect religious plurality; meanwhile Christian leaders are denouncing violence and persecution by the Islamic community. Seventeen house churches and Catholic chapels have been closed recently and many believe the forced closure of places of worship and threats against Protestant congregations will only create tensions manipulated from the outside between the Christian and Islamic communities. Indonesia is the most populous Muslim nation in the world and, while guaranteeing the constitutional principles of religious freedom, it is more and more often the scene of attacks and violence against minorities - whether they are Christians, Ahmadi Muslims or of other faiths. Despite this, the Christian church in Indonesia has grown rapidly in the last 20 years.
Pray: for the government to guarantee religious plurality and respect and pray against clashes and violence. (Ps.7:6)