M

any thanks to David Wallis for his letter (The Jakarta Post, Aug. 9) under the title “Atheists and radical groups”.

It is a cry from the heart urging people to be more tolerant. There is no doubt that the great majority of Indonesians are tolerant, moderate people and it is very sad when many people outside the country wrongly believe it is a state where extremists rule.

One of my Christian friends who lives in Yogyakarta simply asks that he be allowed to worship as he wishes and that everyone else be granted the same privilege. It seems that extremists cannot win a free vote but they hope to win their battle on the streets.

Ultimately they will harm their own cause with such an attitude. Meanwhile minority groups are being denied those freedoms promised in the Indonesian Constitution.

Kevin Hartshorne
Yogyakarta