TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Christians uneasy over FPI guardian angel pledge
The Indonesian Communion of Churches (PGI) and the Indonesian Bishop’s Conference (KWI) said on Wednesday the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) had not spoken to them about its plan to help guard churches during Christmas
Change Size
T
he Indonesian Communion of Churches (PGI) and the Indonesian Bishop’s Conference (KWI) said on Wednesday the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) had not spoken to them about its plan to help guard churches during Christmas. The PGI and the KWI denied they had had any contact with the FPI.
“We never made any agreement with the FPI. We never even communicate with them,” PGI chairman Andreas Anangguru Yewangoe said.
Benny Susetyo, KWI Secretary for Interfaith Relations, who learned about the FPI initiative from newspapers, said he was puzzled by the news as KWI had not had any contact with the FPI.
“Besides, we are not in charge of security. This is handled by archdioceses, which have their own security measures. KWI is a separate organization,” he said. Benny said churches had their own security arrangements, in which local parishes usually liaised with local police.
On Tuesday, FPI leader Rizieq Shihab went to the Jakarta Police headquarters to offer the police his help in safeguarding Christmas celebrations at churches.
Responding to the FPI plan, Christians in the city showed signs of being uneasy with the prospect of performing Christmas services under the watchful eyes of FPI members.
A number of Christians said they would likely feel intimidated by the presence of FPI members in the vicinity of their churches.
“To tell you the truth, I won’t feel safe being guarded by the FPI considering the way they have treated Christians in the past,” said Agung Pambudi, a member of St. Matius Church in Bintaro, South Tangerang.
He respected the good intentions of the FPI though, as they would set an example of religious harmony.
“If they are sincere, we will have no problem accepting their offer. But police and the church community should keep an eye on them.”
Lusiana Diah Ningsih, a member of the St. Matias Rasul congregation in Kosambi, West Jakarta, did not want to have FPI members around her church, especially if they were dressed in strict Islamic garb, saying “it was very intimidating”.
