T

he Persatuan Islam (Persis) Muslim group, which has a stronghold in West Java, has assured the safety of churches in the province following the Tolikara tragedy in Papua.

Persis West Java chapter vice secretary Dadang Fahmi urged every Persis member across the country to do the same thing.

'€œWe understand the Tolikara issue is not a religious issue, but there are parties that would like to disunite Indonesia,'€ Dadang said after addressing around 400 Persis members at the West Java legislative building in Bandung on Thursday.

The rally was attended by various associations affiliated with Persis, such as the West Java Muslim Wives Association, West Java Persis Youth and the West Java Persis Students Union.

The peaceful rally commenced with a march from the Persis headquarters on Jl. Perintis Kemerdekaan to the Gedung Sate gubernatorial office on Jl. Diponegoro.

They marched for around 2.5 kilometers while unfurling banners, some of which read '€œSave Tolikara Muslims'€ and '€œLeaders Speak Objectively Not Provocatively'€.

The protesters also addressed the crowd in front of Gedung Sate, located around 200 meters from the West Java legislative building, where they raised funds to rebuild a razed musholla (small mosque) in Tolikara.

Besides the musholla, several kiosks were also burned down in last Friday'€™s riot. A resident was shot dead by police in the incident.

Persis is a Bandung-headquartered organization founded in 1923. The group, which is concerned with issues on education and Islamic outreach, has millions of followers across the country.

Most Persis followers live in West Java, and were instrumental in West Java Governor Ahmad Heryawan'€™s victory in contesting the gubernatorial election for two terms.

Dadang said he supported the police for legally processing the perpetrators involved in the arson attack in Tolikara.

He also urged the country'€™s leaders to avoid making statements that could cause misconceptions among society.

'€œAchieve a Papua which is peaceful,'€ said Dadang.

The same sentiment was expressed by West Java legislative member Yomanius Untung from the Golkar Party faction.

He urged all Muslims to maintain a tolerant atmosphere in West Java. '€œDon'€™t be provoked and hand everything to law enforcers,'€ he said.

Meanwhile, in a report on freedom of faith and religious intolerance in Indonesia in 2014, the Wahid Institute noted that West Java, inhabited by around 45 million people, was the province with the highest number of violations against religious freedom in Indonesia.

It recorded 55 cases, surpassing Yogyakarta with 21 cases and North Sumatra with 18 cases. Of the 55 acts of violence in the name of religion, the most violations were committed by state officials and law enforcers.

Among the cases that have drawn public attention are land disputes involving the Yasmin GKI church in Bogor and HKBP Philadelphia church in Bekasi, both in West Java, where the respective regional leaders have tended to follow the wishes of radical groups.