Jubilee Campaign, July 25, 2005
Chaos Reigns at Trial of Three Indonesian Women
Three Christian women are on trial in Haurgeulis, Indramayu, Indonesia, for allegedly
converting Muslim children to Christianity. Dr. Rebekka Zakaria, Eti Pangesti and
Ratna Bangun were arrested on May 13 after complaints from Muslim community
leaders came to the attention of the police. The women were denied bail and remain in
prison as their court case proceeds. The trial began in the Indramayu District Court on
Thursday, June 30, and is only in session for two hours a week, continuing each
Thursday until a verdict is reached.
The trial has been marred from the beginning by boisterous Muslim protestors calling
for the conviction, even the execution, of the women. The protestors have been an
intimidating presence both outside and inside the courtroom, making emotional
speeches, chanting slogans and frightening the children waiting to testify, reducing
some of them to tears. Kie Eng Go of Jubilee Campaign Indonesia, who has been
attending the trial, suggests that the protestors may also be seeking to intimidate the
court into bringing a guilty verdict. Their hope, Kie Eng and other observers say, is for
the case to establish a precedent that would restrict Christian activities in Indramayu.
Until April 2005, Zakaria, Pangesti and Bangun operated a children's program called
Cheerful Sunday (CS) in Pangesti's home. At first designed only for Christian children
in Haurgeulis, the program soon began accepting Muslim children, but only with the
permission of their parents or guardians. An educational program with a spiritual bent,
CS provided the children with tutoring in reading and math, but also opened and
closed with prayer and featured Christian songs. The women also took the children on
field trips to the local swimming pool and a theme park, Mini Indonesia, and gave gifts
of pencils and t-shirts to encourage the children in their studies.
A guilty verdict in this case could have serious ramifications in a country that has
already seen a great deal of inter-religious violence in recent years. Over the past
seven years, more than 10,000 people have died, 40,000 houses and 1000 churches
have been destroyed and 700,000 people have been forced to flee their villages in the
provinces of Central Sulawesi, Ambon-Maluku and North Maluku. The violence began
with a campaign of persecution of Christians by the militant Islamic group Laskar
Jihad, but spread when some elements of the Christian minority lashed back. Some
observers fear a further limiting of religious minorities' rights and a revival of unrest if
the women are convicted.
Please pray for justice and peace to prevail in this case.
For more detailed accounts and analysis of the Indramayu case, click on the following
links:
"A Pursuit of Life's Space," a Jubilee Campaign Indonesia report by Kie Eng Go.
"Intimidation of Children in the Christianization Case of West Java," by Ibrahim Buaya,
July 7, 2005
"Haurgeulis Case Unveils Revealing History," by Ibrahim Buaya, July 8, 2005
"From Ugly to Uglier: Islamic Radicals Rule in Court," by Ibrahim Buaya, July 14,
2005
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
email: jubilee@jubileecampaign.org
phone: 703-503-0791
web: http://www.jubileecampaign.org
|
