Monday, October 16, 2006

Boycott Indonesia--Stop Murdering Christians Now!

Reprinted from The Jawa Report.

Civil war is in the air in Indonesia. Christians are daily being slaughtered and the government does little to protect them.

Two of our longtime blog-friends, Stan the Infidel and Big White Infidel, are furious over the treatment of Christians in Indonesia. What the media paints as 'sectarian violence' is really Muslim persecution of Christian minorities.

Stan and Big White are headed to Rev. Irianto Kongkoli's funeral in Palu. Rev. Kongkoli was a Christian minister gunned down in public early this morning. This comes on the heels of a bombing on Saturday and after three Christians were executed for their alleged participation in sectarian violence. Violence that has largely targetted Christians and over which no Muslim has been prosecuted.

If their reaction is any gauge of Christian sentiment in Indonesia, then expect an escalation of the violence. Especially pay attention to Stan's extended comments here.

I would urge the Christians of Indonesia, and especially our friends Stan and Big White, towards self-restraint and non-violence. Not that I am a pacifist, I am not, but I am a realist. One should only fight battles if they can win. This is not a battle that can be won through violence.

There is something that you can do to show your solidarity with Indonesia's persecuted Christians. Boycott Indonesia.

Write your Congressman.

Write the Indonesian embassy or call (202) 775 - 5200

Write the consular section of the U.S. embassy, Jakarta.

Next time you're in WalMart, be sure to check that label. Don't buy Indonesian.

I fear that if the international community does not immediately and successfully pressure the Indonesian government to protect its Christian minorities with more than lip service, that serious violence and civil war will erupt. A war with only one possible outcome: increased persecution and the mass killings of Christians.

Indonesia is very sensitive to public criticisms. The government spends a lot of time engaged in propaganda intended to show that country as a shining example of what moderate Islam looks like.

Please do what you can to help.