HTML pages
designed &
maintained by
Alifuru67
Copyright ©
1999/2000 -
1364283024
& 1367286044
|
|
|||||
|
|
|
|||
Jubilee Campaign U.K Press Release
For immediate release - December 19th 2000
Moluccan Forced Conversions Debated in British Parliament
British Parliamentarians raised grave concerns about the systematic extermination of the Christian community in the Moluccas islands and the mass forced conversions to Islam currently being imposed on thousands of Moluccan Christians by Islamic militants. The Parliamentary debate was secured by Edward Leigh MP after he was requested by the Jubilee Campaign to apply for it. During the one hour debate, Edward Leigh called on the British government to put strong pressure on the Indonesian authorities to stop the destruction of the Christian community in the Moluccas and the mass forced conversions and to permit United Nations peacekeeping forces to enter the Moluccas. He also called for an arms embargo to be imposed on Indonesia until peace is restored in those islands.
Win Griffiths MP supported calls for an arms embargo against Indonesia and pointed out that the Moluccan Christian community were facing impending annihilation. He stressed that it was not enough to send Indonesian troops to deal with violence in the Moluccas unless those troops were willing to act neutrally and not lend their manpower and firepower to the cause of the Islamic militants. Win Griffiths pointed out that if an arms embargo was not enough to get the necessary action by the Indonesian government and military then other sanctions against Indonesia should be considered as well.
Cheryl Gillan MP, the Foreign Affairs Spokeswoman for the Conservatives, expressed grave concerns about the threats made by Islamic militants against the Moluccan Christians that "No church bells would be ringing in Ambon by Christmas." She pointed out that a section of the Indonesian people are being systematically wiped out. Rev. Martin Smyth MP said that Britain's representatives at the United Nations should be pressing for action by the U.N over the Moluccas.
John Battle MP, a Minister at the Foreign Office, responded on behalf of the British government and said that they recognised the role of the Laskar Jihad in the violence in the Moluccas. He claimed that the Indonesian military were not as ineffective as had been argued, and that 250 Islamic militants of the Laskar Jihad were arrested on July 5th by the Indonesian Navy. He said that the British government continued to put regular pressure on the Indonesian government over the Moluccas but would not commit himself on imposing an immediate arms embargo or on whether the British government would put pressure on the Indonesian authorities to accept U.N peacekeepers in the Moluccas. John Battle stressed that the British government were helping to promote conflict resolution in the Moluccas. There are currently around 7000 or more Islamic militants in the Moluccas, waging a violent Jihad or so-called holy war against Moluccan Christians. Islamic militants are intent on destroying the Christian presence in the Moluccas by killing, forcibly converting or driving out all the Christians.
In many parts of the Moluccas, Christian villages have been wiped out by Islamic militants and reports from the local Catholic Church indicate that 75% of the Island of Ambon has already been cleared of Christians. The Maranatha Church and the human rights group, Masariku Network, both of which are based in Ambon, report that there are an estimated 487,000 internally displaced Moluccan Christians. Of these internally displaced Christians about 300,000 have fled the Moluccas islands to other parts of Indonesia. Semmy Weileruny, a lawyer with the Moluccan Church's Team of Lawyers has stated that at least 5000 Moluccan Christians have been forced to convert to Islam by the Islamic militants and thousands more are under threat of death if they do not convert.
According to the Ambon-based Masariku Network, the Diocese of Amboina's Crisis Centre and the Maranatha Church Information Center there are currently mass forced conversions being perpetrated by Islamic militants against thousands of Moluccan Christians. More than a thousand Christians in Bacan island in the northern Moluccas have been forced by Muslim militants to change their religion to Islam. In a letter dated 3rd September this year, one of the church leaders from Bacan reported that 2 weeks beforehand 1,150 Christian youths and children were circumcised as part of their forced conversion to Islam.
An ultimatum has been given that those Christians in Bacan who do not convert by December 31st this year will be killed. Forced conversions have also been taking place in other parts of the Moluccas. This strategy of forced conversions is reported to have been implemented in Seram, Bacan, Buru, Kasiui and Sanana islands and parts of Halmahera.
Edward Leigh MP says, "The situation in the Moluccas is appalling. The British and Indonesian governments ought to be taking tougher action to stop the atrocities and mass forced conversions."
Jubilee Campaign's Parliamentary Officer, Wilfred Wong, says, "It is disgusting that thousands of Christians are being made to convert to Islam by these ruthless Muslim militants. Despite numerous representations by Parliamentarians, Moluccan church leaders and members of the British public, the British government continues to refuse to impose an arms embargo on Indonesia and is still reluctant to put pressure on the Indonesian government to accept U.N peacekeepers in the Moluccas. However, we will continue to keep up the pressure for stronger action to be taken on the Moluccas."
***********
Received via email from: Iwanov T
Copyright © 1999-2000 - Ambon Berdarah On-Line * http://www.go.to/ambon
HTML pages designed and maintained by Alifuru67 * http://www.oocities.org/maluku67
Send your comments to alifuru67@egroups.com