Officials To Withdraw Permit For Christian Schools In Indonesia

Officials To Withdraw Permit For Christian Schools In Indonesia

Officials To Withdraw Permit For Christian Schools In Indonesia: According to sources, South Sulawesi Province local officials in Indonesia have pledged to revoke permission that had been given to build a Christian school after bowing to pressure from Islamic protestors.

The district representative council in the town of Parepare had authorized the building of the school because the Gamaliel Christian School Foundation had met all standards, but the council vowed to withdraw the authorization following a protest on Friday (Oct. 6).

Members of the Islamic Defenders Front (Front Pembela Islam, or FPI), banned since December 2020, participated in the march through the city along with hundreds of area residents, Muslim leaders, and members of the Indonesian Association of Muslim Intellectuals (Ikatan Cendekiawan Muslim Indonesia, or ICMI) and the Soreang Society Alliance, arriving at the office of the district representative council.

Following the demonstration, Parepare’s representative council made a commitment to revoke the permits for the construction of the Christian school since it would spark conflict, a source said. Although the council has not issued a letter rescinding approval, such promises made by officials to Islamic organizations in Indonesia can be considered official decisions.

A widely seen video online shows some individuals raising banners that say, among other things, “Rejecting the Construction of the Gamaliel Soreang Christian School.” Demonstrators yelled, “Refuse the permit, revoke the permit,” and several speakers urged the government to follow suit.

“We are the most tolerant people; Muslims need no education on tolerance,” said one orator. “We live in a neighborhood with non-Muslims and provide food to each other; we never disturb others’ worship, but it is intolerance if you build a Christian school in a majority Muslim community.”