TheJakartaPost
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Post Surabaya, responding religiously to terror
No matter what religion we practice, religious coping is taught and mostly has a universal meaning, as Abu-Raiya and Pargament, wrote in 2015.
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In mourning: Residents attend a candlelight vigil in Surakarta, Central Java, on May 13, to pray for victims of church suicide bombings in Surabaya, East Java, and terror attacks in areas across Indonesia. (Antara/Maulana Surya)
I
ndonesia is grieving, again. Three churches were attacked by a family with four children on May 13. The attacks happened soon after the 36-hour riot at the Mobile Brigade headquarters (Mako Brimob) detention center, including the fatal stabbing of Chief Brig. Marhum Prencje. As if those were not enough, there was another attack at the Surabaya and Riau Police headquarters on May 14 and 15, the former by another family.
Deep gratitude must be given to the police for keeping their composure and staying alert for potential attacks. What is worrying is how a group of citizens react to these terror attacks.
While the majority of citizens condemned the terror acts and reminded others to stay safe, some had disturbing views, as they alleged that these were another set of occurrences deflecting the focus from the country’s numerous problems and aiming to stigmatize Islam.
What was even more disheartening was to hear that some political figures took advantage of these acts of terror to justify their political stance and to confront the government. It seems that contributing solutions and preventing further attacks were never part of their priorities.
