Churches Call for Peace in Maluku Violence

The Christian-Muslim conflict which broke out on the 25th April in the Maluku islands has lasted for nearly two weeks now. As a result of the ongoing violence over 33 people have lost their lives and 238 people have been injured. Many churches and regions where Christian lives have been torched.

In the letter written on 5th May to the president of Indonesia, Megawati Soekarnoputri, the World Council of Churches (WCC) expressed their dismay and concern about the conflict.

Particularly they are concerned by the attacks and acts of arson at the Indonesian Christian University in Maluku that have resulted in the complete destruction of 16 lecture rooms that catered to the faculties of Theology, Civil Engineering, Economics as well as Social and Political Sciences. Priceless collections of books accumulated over many years, including the Maluccana and Idonesiana collections, have been completely gutted as a result of the attack on the University library.

Undersigned by the WCC general secretary, Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia, the letter is a call for the Indonesian Government to "take immediate steps to put an end to the violence in the Malukus", supporting the similar call of the Moderator of the Protestant Church in the Malukus, Rev. Dr. I.W.J. Hendriks and Msgr P.C. Mandagi MSC, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Ambonia.

The Indonesia Security Force was blamed for not taking timely actions against the miscreants, and it has been put forward that this lack of action has intensified the damage and spread of violence which could have been avoided. Efforts from the government to maintain law and order and to provide security to the people in the country would be very much appreciated, particularly in regions such as the Malukus where inter-religious tensions run high.

The Government should also encourage and support peace-building efforts of churches and civil society groups that are endeavouring to promote inter-religious harmony in the region.

The members of the World Council of Churches have always strived for peace and reconciliation between the two communities, and in this connection have consistently promoted inter-religious dialogue, through the Communion of Churches in Indonesia, particularly in the Malukus region. The WCC said it is important that these efforts do not suffer a set-back because of the actions of a few extremists on both sides of the religious divide.