Indonesia's Christians Curb Activities Amid Strife With Muslims

By Franklin Fisher

General Board of Global Ministries, The United Methodist Church

One year after the storm of rallies, riots, and rampant killings that forced the ouster of Indonesia's President Suharto, the country remains beset by a mounting array of ethnic and political tensions that have not only fueled a general instability, but have led Christians to back away from certain forms of ministry and investment.

Although last May's ouster of Suharto after 32 years of strongman rule cleared the way for a drive toward sweeping democratic reforms, it has also spawned an epidemic of new troubles. These include a sharp escalation of separatist violence in East Timor and elsewhere in the country; the threat of violence in the run-up to the critical June 7 parliamentary election--the country's first freely contested election since the 1950s; continued uncertainties over when and how the country can mend its economy, stricken since the onset of the Asian economic crisis in 1997; and continuing widespread joblessness and hunger among the poorest citizens as a result of that economic crisis.

That host of troubles affects everyone in the 3,200-mile Indonesian archipelago, which currently has as its president Suharto's hand-picked successor, B.J. Habibie. But for Christians, yet another problem is having an impact all its own: Muslim-Christian bloodshed.

At more than 200 million, Indonesia has the world's fourth-largest population. Muslims comprise 87 percent of that population, making Indonesia the world's most populous Muslim country. Protestants make up 6 percent and Roman Catholics 3 percent.

In Muslim-Christian clashes so far this year, at least 200 people have been killed on the island of Ambon, in the Mollucas, known in Dutch colonial days as the Spice Islands. And thousands of buildings, including churches and mosques, have been burnt.

Last November in the capital, Jakarta, 25 churches were burned and 13 people killed in rioting. Later, violence flared on Ambon, known as a place where for centuries Christians and Muslims lived in harmony. Entire villages were razed, and thousands of refugees tried to flee the island on perilously overcrowded ships.

The latest Ambon bloodshed occurred on the weekend of May 15 and 16, when at least seven were killed in rioting.

Why the Muslim-Christian conflict? Some in Indonesia trace the violence to the country's recent history. During the three decades of Suharto's rule, there was little outlet for political expression. Ethnic, social, and economic differences intensified, and various groups internalized their grievances and developed a narrowed communal mindset. Suharto's forced migration of people from overpopulated Java to the outer islands added to that more fragmented tribal mentality.

Still other observers in Indonesia suspect those with ties to the former Suharto regime, who, they contend, are working to incite religious chaos in order to head off prosecutions of the former regime for alleged corruption and abuse of power.

If the violence continues, it could derail next month's parliamentary election, the success of which is seen as crucial to moving Indonesia toward authentic democracy. And Suharto allies recognize that a climate of vigorous democracy could bring on an even greater clamor to hold the former regime and its cronies to account. The campaigning kicked off earlier this month.

Another possible reason for Muslim-Christian conflict is the sudden emergence of Muslim parties in Indonesia's evolving political mainstream. Many Muslims say that Suharto suppressed Islamic politics by allowing only one Islam-based party which he indirectly controlled. But now such parties are proliferating. Some Indonesians worry that a streak of Islamic fundamentalism could take root in the country's politics.

For Methodists and other Christians, meanwhile, the Muslim-Christian strife has led to curtailment of many kinds of Christian activity by all denominations, including Methodists, according to Dr. David C. Wu, assistant general secretary for Congregational Mission Initiatives, General Board of Global Ministries, The United Methodist Church.

Outdoor or other public Christian events, or any other activities that might draw hostile attention, have been sharply curtailed since late last year, Wu said.

"Right now, anything you do with a cross--it generates burning, which never before in Indonesia, even under Suharto, was the case," said Wu. "Right now it is very tense. All Christians are fearful to have open meetings, to have rallies. They are adopting a low-key approach, which is only wise under the circumstances. You don't need a rally to create that kind of tension."

But the conflict with Muslims is also posing an economic hindrance to the Christians, Wu said. Already, congregations have less money in the blighted economy. But with the continued unrest, building projects and other big-ticket expenses are on hold because the violence is delaying a transition to stability and public order.

"Churches are basically reluctant now in terms of building new buildings or purchasing property, by themselves or in partnership with overseas churches," said Wu. "So this is curtailment. What they otherwise would have done has been curtailed for the time being."

May 26, 1999