Faiths Join Together to Promote Cooperation during Relief Efforts

According to Zenit News, seven Muslim and Christian religious representatives signed the joint statement on Saturday to dispel fears that post-tsunami humanitarian aid being provided in the Indonesia’s tsunami-ravaged Aceh province is a means of proselytism.

There have been widespread debate and conflicts triggered by the public media suggesting that evangelical Christian organisations that arrived in Indonesia have a religious objective rather than just providing humanitarian aid.

To clear the allegation, Indonesia's Christian communities denounced all attempts to use the humanitarian mission to evangelise while leaders urged the international Christian communities who want to help children affected by the tsunami in Aceh and North Sumatra to work in cooperation with the Muslim Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhannadiyah organisations—the latter represents 40 million Muslims in Indonesia—as agreed by the Christian and Muslim leaders.

"We hope that all polemics that are unproductive to humanitarian work in Aceh and North Sumatra be swiftly ended," the leaders stated, as reported by the Zenit news agency. "Now is the time for us to work together to overcome this national disaster. May God, Creator and Guardian of life bless our efforts."

Father Benny Susetyo, secretary of the Inter-religious Dialogue Commission of the Indonesian Episcopal conference are among the prominent leaders who signed the statement.