1,000 churches closed in Aceh, Indonesia, since 2006

1,000 churches have been closed in the Indonesian region of Aceh since 2006.

Minority faiths have suffered in Muslim-majority Indonesia since the implementation nine years ago of a law to promote 'religious harmony'.

In practice, this law means that non-Muslims must obtain local 60 signatories from a different faith as well as permission from the local authority before they can build a place of worship.

If a church is deemed not to have the correct building permits, it can be torn down.

Imams in Aceh, the only part of Indonesia where Sharia law is practised, have reportedly ordered the torching of churches, and Christians have been subject to regular bouts of mob violence.

Earlier this month, the Gatestone Institute released a report entitled 'The Indonesia Jihad on Christian churches', which claimed that Imams had called on Muslims to torch churches.

"We will not stop hunting Christians and burning churches. Christians are Allah's enemies," one Islamic leader said, according to the report.

In October, Reuters reported that several churches had been destroyed after Muslim residents, including members of the hardline group Islamic Defenders Front, had demanded they be closed.

In Aceh Singkil, thousands of Christians fled after a church was burned down and one person died.

Police in Aceh Singkil district used sledgehammers and axes to tear down the churches – little more than small, wooden structures – as Christian members of the community looked on, many of them weeping.

Additonal reporting by Reuters.

related articles
Indonesia: 10 churches to be shut, yielding to hardline Muslim demands
Indonesia: 10 churches to be shut, yielding to hardline Muslim demands

Authorities in Aceh, Indonesia have shut down several churches days after churches were burned down by a mob of extremist Muslims.

Indonesia begins church demolitions under Islamist pressure
Indonesia begins church demolitions under Islamist pressure

Authorities in Indonesia's Aceh province have demolished three churches, claiming that they lacked the proper building permits.

Sharia law imposed in Indonesia's Aceh province

Indonesia's conservative Aceh province has enacted a strict Islamic criminal code, local government officials said late on Friday.

Obama urged to hold Indonesia to account over religious persecution

Religious intolerance should be high on the agenda in President Obama's meetings with Indonesia's President Joko Widodo, a religious freedom charity has said.

Muslim militants\' burning of churches, persecution of Christians in Indonesia spurred by imams\' jihad order
Muslim militants' burning of churches, persecution of Christians in Indonesia spurred by imams' jihad order

Indonesian Imams have ordered jihad on Christians living in the Aceh region by attacking and burning churches displacing many Christians to bordering provinces, according to a report.

News
'Passion' star Jim Caviezel recalls the time Jesus appeared to him
'Passion' star Jim Caviezel recalls the time Jesus appeared to him

Actor Jim Caviezel recently claimed that Jesus Christ supernaturally appeared to him more than 20 years ago as he was considering whether to take the starring role in "The Passion of the Christ," Mel Gibson's 2004 film depicting the Crucifixion. 

Frasier star Kelsey Grammer says standing up for Jesus is worth the cost
Frasier star Kelsey Grammer says standing up for Jesus is worth the cost

Emmy Award-winning actor Kelsey Grammer has said he’ll never deny his faith in Jesus Christ, even if standing by his beliefs comes at a personal cost, and shared why he believes Christians have a responsibility to remain steadfast in an increasingly fractured culture.

Why John Stott’s ‘Christian Counter-Culture’ still challenges the church
Why John Stott’s ‘Christian Counter-Culture’ still challenges the church

After more than 45 years, John Stott’s teaching on the Sermon on the Mount remains a fresh challenge to a church too comfortable with the world.

MP challenges plans to light up Belfast City Hall in support of abortion on Easter Sunday
MP challenges plans to light up Belfast City Hall in support of abortion on Easter Sunday

Carla Lockhart MP has spoken out against plans to light up Belfast City Hall in support of abortion on Easter Sunday.