Muslim protesters force Christian students out of Indonesian Bible school

Students at the Arastamar Evangelical School of Theology in East Jakarta, Indonesia, are being forced to sleep in the lobby of the Indonesian parliament after demonstrations against the school by local Muslims on 25 July.

A local mosque loudspeaker called on Muslims to drive "drive out the unwanted neighbour", as hundreds of protesters wielding machetes, sharpened bamboo and acid, attacked the school.

The incident was sparked when two students at the school threw a sandal after seeing a rat in their dormitory. The sandal landed in the property of a neighbour and when the students tried to retrieve the sandal they were accused of being thieves.

Despite the presence of 400 police officers, the ensuing protests became violent and led to at least 17 students at the school receiving injuries.

The 1,400 students and staff at the school were evacuated during the weekend of 26-27 July, some to Indonesia's parliament and others to nearby denominational and medical facilities, reports Compass Direct News.

Those taking refuge in the parliament building are now lobbying the government to allow them to return to the school and guarantee their protection.