Muslim villagers in West Java, Indonesia on Christmas Day stopped a congregation from celebrating Christmas in a home, Morning Star News reported. See related story on Christmas restrictions in Indonesia.
The interference came within hours of Indonesian President Joko Widodo’s historic visits to two churches in nearby Bogor, where he urged congregations to continue harmonious relations with people of other faiths.
Christians kept from worshipping
In Cilebut Barat, Sukaraja District, about 39 miles south of Jakarta, the group of Muslims lined up outside a home where Batak Christian Church’s Christmas Day worship was planned and kept worshippers from entering the home, according to video footage appearing on social media.
A woman from the church is heard in the video pleading with the group to leave them alone.
After a passerby apparently urges the Muslims to give no response, the woman repeatedly asks what loss would they incur from the service that would cause them to forbid worship on Christmas. She is repeatedly told only that the home is not a church building.
Onlookers, police officers and soldiers present make no response to the Christian woman in the video.
In North Sulawesi Province on the island of Sulawesi, about 20 Muslims in Buyat Selatan village stopped members of Rototok Advent Church from holding Christmas Day worship at a home. They said a house is not a church building, according to online news outlet detik.com.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written and originally published by Morning Star News.
