As police officers looked on, a group of Muslims on Sunday (July 27) stormed a prayer house in Indonesia, injuring two children, sources said.
The Muslims shouted the jihadist slogan “Allahu Akbar [God is Greater]” and “Dismiss it” as they disrupted state mandated religious education for children provided by the Anugerah Faithful Christian Church of Indonesia (Gereja Kristen Setia Indonesia, GKSI) in Padang Sarai village, Koto Tengah District, Padang City, West Sumatra Province at around 4 p.m., a widely viewed video shows.
Armed with wooden blocks, knives and stones, the intruders damaged property inside and outside the prayer house where religious instruction was underway for children who could not receive it in school. Panicked students and their parents rushed outside as children cried. A voice from within the congregation can be heard saying, “Our country is a Pancasila state [policy of unity and social justice for all of Indonesia’s various people] based on law and must be carried out according to law.”
Two Christian students, ages 7 and 11, were severely injured after the assailants struck them, according to the video. Sound system equipment, chairs, fans, a pulpit podium, window panes and other items were damaged.
The pastor of the church, F. Dachi, said the attack occurred suddenly while several children were receiving the religious instruction. The mob of angry Muslims had gathered on the street in front of the prayer house, shouting and demanding a stop to the teaching, shocking the pastor who was outside the building at the time, according to Sumbarkita.id.
“The crowd immediately shouted, ‘Dismiss! Dismiss the religious instruction!’ and began throwing stones at the prayer house,” Pastor Dachi said. “Glass was shattered, equipment was destroyed, and the electricity was cut off.”
The head of 03 Neighborhood Associations (Rukun Tetangga) and the head of the 09 Community Association (RW) asked to speak with him in a backyard, though there no details about the discussion, reported BBC.com.
The attack and vandalism followed Islamic afternoon prayer time (Asr) by local Muslims.
Padang Mayor Fadly Aram claimed that the incident was merely a misunderstanding unrelated to ethnicity, race or interfaith issues. He acknowledged the hurt feelings of the Christian worshippers.
“First, we must acknowledge the pain of our brothers and sisters who have suffered from this act of vandalism, which even resulted in injuries,” Fadly told Kompas.com on Sunday evening (July 27). “The damaged building was an educational facility for Christian students, not a church.”
Pastor Dachi expressed his concerns to Aram, later video shows.
“All this time, I’ve only been providing religious guidance – this isn’t an illegal activity,” he told the mayor. “This is a prayer house, a place for Christian religious education for schoolchildren so they can get grades in their religious studies. To get grades, I give them exams and so on.”
As the religious teaching coincides with the time Muslims perform the afternoon (Asr) prayer, Pastor Dachi said, “When the Adhan [Islamic call to prayer] sounds, we stop our activities. I respect the Adhan. I pause what I’m doing when I hear the Adhan, as Muslims are offering prayers to the Almighty. As a Christian leader, I honor that. Thank God, everyone in the mosque is praying to You...”
Pastor Dachi then expressed sadness regarding the actions of those who had just completed the Islamic prayer.
“I am deeply saddened by the behavior of those brothers unless I were teaching Christian children about cockfighting, drug use, and so on,” he said. “Mr. Mayor, I educate them with the Word of God.”
The chairman of the Padang Interfaith Cooperation Forum, identified only as Salmadanis, said the incident of vandalism and beating of children stemmed from a mere misunderstanding, according to Kompas.com.
“The core issue stems from a shift in the church’s approach to religious instruction,” Salmadanis said. “In the past, religious education was conducted on a house-to-house basis. Recently, however, it has been centralized in a single location, leading to misunderstandings within the community.”
West Sumatra Deputy Police Chief Brig. Gen. Solihin said police have arrested nine people in connection with the destruction of the congregation’s prayer house. The number of suspects in this case could increase if more evidence emerges, he said.
“Believe me, the police will follow up on this case, and no one in West Sumatra should take the law into their own hands,” Solihin reportedly said.
Yen Danir, youth leader of the local neighborhood association, accused the congregation of having provoked the residents, according to DetikSumut.com.
“While we were there, our youths overheard something from the Nias residents [congregation],” Danir told detikSumut.com on Tuesday (July 29). “They said we should go to war; that’s where the trigger was. We had no intention of causing a disturbance; we were just provoked.”
The residents visited the prayer house so Danir could clarify issues with the homeowner, the pastor, he said, as previously the residents thought the rented house in Padang Sarai village was just a shelter.
“We thought it was a shelter, but it turned out it had been converted into a place of worship,” Danir reportedly said.
Other organizations in Padang City also accused the GKSI congregation to stoking Christian-Muslim tensions and demanded closure of the prayer house and firm action against the pastor, according to the Indonesia for All Movement.
“We ask law enforcement officials to take firm action against Pastor Fathia Dachi,” a representative of the movement said.
They also demanded release of the alleged assailants in police custody.
“Two children were injured, the prayer house was vandalized, and the perpetrators have publicly apologized,” the Indonesia for All Movement representative reportedly said. “They have even asked the GKSI to resolve the matter peacefully, even though they have refused and still want to pursue legal proceedings.”
Condemnation
The Communion of Churches in Indonesia (PGI) condemned the attack
“This action is extremely distressing,” the Rev. Jacky Manuputty, general chairman of the PGI, said in a press statement on Monday (July 28), according to Holopis.com. “Acts of terror accompanied by violence aimed at disrupting religious services in front of children will undoubtedly cause lasting trauma to their development.”
The incident shows that intolerance remains deeply rooted in various corners of the country, Pastor Manuputty said.
“Indonesia is a vast nation built on diversity, strengthened by unity and connected through respect for differences,” he said.
The chairman of the Setara Institute, an NGO dedicated to the fight for democracy and religious freedom, Hendardi, said the attack was a crime that violates the constitution.
“This action cannot be justified and is a criminal act that violates the law and the constitution,” he told Morning Star News.
Hendardi urged local and state law enforcement officials to avoid suggesting that intolerance and violence stem merely from misunderstanding. The governments of Padang and West Sumatra must tackle the underlying issues that contribute to these problems, particularly religious conservatism, low religious literacy, social segregation, discriminatory regulations and the normalization of religious intolerance at both structural and cultural levels, he said.
Pastor Nicky Wakkary of Bogor, West Java, fewer than 38 miles from Jakarta, described the attack and destruction of a prayer house as an act of Christian-phobia.
“This intolerant movement sends a signal to the government about the issues surrounding interfaith relations in Indonesia,” said Pastor Nicky of the Greater Indonesia Christian Movement.
Martin Daniel Tumbelaka, a member of the Indonesian House of Representatives, commended the swift arrests by West Sumatra Regional Police.
“This demonstrates that the state will not remain silent in the face of violence and intolerance, and that law enforcement must see this through to the end,” Martin said in a statement on Monday (July 28) in Jakarta.
He said he hoped police would take further action.
“If there are others who orchestrated or incited them, they must also be held accountable,” Tumbelaka said. “The state must be present and firm. This issue goes beyond physical damage; it impacts citizens’ sense of security. There must be zero tolerance for vigilante actions.”
The attack caught the attention of the vice president of the Republic of Indonesia, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, who on Wednesday (July 30) paid a visit to the 23 child victims at the Padang City Social Services Office, West Sumatra, according to Kompas.com.
Indonesian society in recent years has adopted a more conservative Islamic character, and churches involved in evangelistic outreach are at risk of being targeted by Islamic extremist groups, according to Open Doors.
