Maluku Christian-Muslim Crisis Intensifies

Today enters the fifth day of the Christian- Muslim conflicts in Ambon, Indonesia.

Last night, a Muslim leader warned that the bloodshed could escalate dramatically. He described the situation as “really, really critical”. He attributed the worsened situation to the inefficiency of the security forces.

He came to be alert of the crisis based on yesterday’s report. Two churches have been torched in the last 24 hours, snipers have been operating throughout the city and at least 26 people are dead and more than 200 injured.

Across the city, Islamic fighters armed with long swords vow to avenge the deaths of fellow Muslims allegedly shot by Christian snipers.

"The whole night there was bombing and shooting," Amboina Crisis Centre priest, Pastor Cornelis Bohm said.

The atmosphere of hatred and distrust between Christians and Muslims reigns in the city. There has been no sign of letting up.

"Muslims have lost their right to worship God," Zeth Supusepa, an Indonesian Christian, 30-year-old says, "They are burning places of worship. From now on, there will be no more dialogue."

However, Indonesia's military has denied it took part in an attack on a church in Ambon. Several witnesses said that uniformed infantrymen fired into the air before ordering seven families living close to the city's Nazeret Protestant church to leave their houses early Wednesday. Minutes later, unidentified men torched their homes and the church.

A U.N.-funded school that taught Muslim and Christian children was one of the first buildings to be burned. Soon after, the offices housing all the region's U.N. agencies were destroyed.

Caroline Tupamahu, project manager for the U.N. Development Project in Ambon said, "It will take a long time to recover now; the people don't trust each other anymore."

Actually both Muslim and Christian leaders say the bloodshed was ignited by a small number of radicals from both sides of faiths, although fighting has spread quickly in Ambon. Most people in this war-racked city are innocent and they want peace.

"The South Moluccas Republican Movement (RMS) are only 200 to 300 people, they are not all over Ambon. This is a very extreme group of Christians who want Christian sovereignty," Pastor Bohm said.

The Sunday clash is believed to have been provoked by the island's small separatist Christian group parading through the city centre.

Indonesia is predominantly Muslim, but the Malukus' two million people are evenly divided between Muslims and Christians. Known as the Spice Islands during Dutch colonial days, the islands were once held up as a model of religious harmony.

Tensions have worsened since 1999 with the arrival of volunteers belonging to Laskar Jihad -- a newly created militia from Indonesia's main island of Java. It was responsible for most of the 9000 deaths that occurred in the Malukus between January 1999 and October 2002.

These days, no Muslim dares to cross into the Christian, or "red" areas of the city with a 350,000 population. The "white" or Muslim section, is similarly out of bounds for Christians.

Barnabas Fund, a UK based ministry serving persecuted churches around the world, calls people to pray that Christians will be allowed to live in peace in South Maluku. Also, the testimony and forbearance of Christians in Ambon will be a witness to Muslims.