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INDONESIA
“Jihad” continuesBombs, assaults, and threats
Fighting between Christian and Muslim gangs erupted on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi early in June, leaving at least 50 people dead.
Although fighting between members of the Indonesia’s Muslim majority and mainly Protestant Christians began 18 months ago in the Molluccas region, and has left thousands dead, the strife has now spread beyond that region. Authorities reported heavy fighting between rival religious gangs in Poso, about 1,000 miles northeast of Jakarta. More than 7,000 people there reportedly fled their homes to avoid the violence.
In the Molluccas, meanwhile, Muslim zealots who had called for a jihad against Christians sought to carry out their threats despite government opposition. At least 44 people were killed on May 30 when members of a Muslim group attacked a Christian village on Halmahera island. Reports from the Mollucan provincial capital, Ambon, indicated that 17 people were killed there two days earlier. An estimated 2,000 Islamic volunteers have reportedly entered the Molluccas to carry out the jihad, despite government pledges to keep them away.