Indonesia: Church bombing sparks fears of escalation in religious violence

The attack prompted President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to give a televised address to the nation last night, in which he acknowledged that terrorism remains a grave threat in Indonesia and suggested that the bomber was likely linked to jihadist groups.

Ahmadiyya Times | News Watch | US Desk
Source/Credit: Open Democracy | Excerpt
By Josephine Whitaker | September 26, 2011

Indonesian church bombing sparks fears of increasing religious violence. Guangdong riots over ‘landgrabs’. US drone crashes in Kismayo, Somalia. Fresh clashes hit southern Philippines . Shooting at ‘CIA station’ in Kabul. All this and more in today’s security briefing...

Twenty people were injured in a suspected suicide bombing at a church in Central Java, Indonesia, shortly after the Sunday service ended yesterday, sparking fears that such violence could spread.

The bomber, reported to have been disguised as a church-goer at the Bethel Injil church in Kepunton, Solo, is believed to have been the only fatality of the attack. Although no group has yet claimed responsibility, national police spokesman Anton Bachrul Alam said today that DNA results confirming the identity of the bomber are expected tomorrow.


The openSecurity verdict: The attack prompted President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to give a televised address to the nation last night, in which he acknowledged that terrorism remains a grave threat in Indonesia and suggested that the bomber was likely linked to jihadist groups.

Some analysts point to a link between Sunday’s church bombing and recent sectarian clashes in Ambon, provincial capital of the Maluku islands, which killed five and left eighty injured. Others, however, believe that although there may be signs that radical groups are trying to capitalize on the violence, it is not possible to make a definitive connection yet. Sidney Jones, terrorism analyst at International Crisis Group, points to radical websites blaming “Crusader Christians” for recent unrest, but insists that it is too early to make a connection.

Whatever the case may be, the attack is causing consternation about a potential rise in religiously-motivated attacks in the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation. While Indonesian authorities are widely recognised to have cracked down successfully on extremist Islamist groups that have targeted popular tourist destinations, hotels and nightclubs, the government is facing increased criticism that it is not doing enough to contain attacks aimed at intimidating religious minorities.

Indonesia has a history of conflict between its Muslim and Christian populations, with 5,000 killed and 500,000 displaced on account of such violence between 1992 and 2002. Sunday’s bombing comes after a series of violent attacks on religious minorities across Indonesia. In February, protestors burned churches after a Christian convicted of blasphemy against Islam was given what they saw as a lenient prison term. In a separate incident, three men were beaten to death and six others injured when a 1,500-strong crowd set upon members of the Ahmadiyah Muslim sect to stop them from worshipping.

The challenge of bringing violence against religious minorities under control is not a new one for Yudhoyono, but with government approval ratings dropping over a perceived inability to tackle corruption, there may be fresh impetus to address this problem.


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