Posted on 09/28/2005 7:58:38 AM PDT by ElisabethInCincy
http://www.jubileecampaign.org/home/jubilee/images/indo/indramayu_video.wmv Wow this is pure evil.. Please watch
For the past several weeks, we have been keeping you up to date on the trial of three Christian women in Haurgeulis, Indramayu, Indonesia, for allegedly converting Muslim children to Christianity. Dr. Rebekka Zakaria, Eti Pangesti and Ratna Bangun have been on trial since June 30. Yesterday, Thursday, September 1, we received word that the women were found guilty on all charges and sentenced to three years in prison. The women were convicted under the Child Protection Act of 2002, which prohibits the enticement of minors to convert to another religion.
Zakaria, Pangesti and Bangun had operated a Sunday School program known as "Happy Sunday" out of one of their homes until it was closed by a local branch of the Muslim Clerics Council (MUI) earlier this year. Originally designed for Christian children, the program began accepting Muslim children only after receiving the permission of the children's parents or guardians. The MUI claimed that they had no such permission, and pressured the police to arrest them, which they did in mid-May. The women remained in jail for the duration of their trial.
The trial itself was marred from the beginning by vociferous protests by radical Muslim activists, who conducted prayers and made speeches both outside and within the courtroom and loudly demanded that the defendants be convicted. An observer who had attended most of the court sessions informed us that Thursday was no different. He said, "Today [the protestors] arrived in nine trucks and brought a coffin to bury the accused if they were not found guilty. Their violent threats continued in their speeches before the session began. When the panel of judges read the verdict . . . the crowd erupted with 'Allahu akbar' or 'Allah is greater.'"
Many observers fear that, in addition to being a gross miscarriage of justice, the conviction of the women will set an ominous precedent for the interpretation of the Child Protection Law. They suggest that Thursday's decision could prevent any kind of Christian ministry to Muslim children, whether or not conversion is the goal.
In a related story, radical Muslims in West Java, emboldened or inflamed by the trial, have continued their campaign of church closures. Thirty-five churches have been shut down by the MUI and its affiliates since the end of July, and at least sixty in the past year. The Two of the defendants give an interview from their jail cellauthorities claim the churches are unlicensed and therefore illegal, which is technically true, but sources in Indonesia explain that it is practically impossible for churches to receive registration anywhere in Indonesia. Jubilee Campaign has received two documents that police in West Java have used to close churches in that province. See below for links to the documents.
The women's conviction, combined with the continuing church closures, send an alarming message about the state of religious freedom in Indonesia. Please join Jubilee Campaign in praying for the embattled Christian minority in West Java, especially Ms. Zakaria, Ms. Pangesti and Ms. Bangun. Pray also for the rule of law, not the rule of intimidation and violence, will prevail in West Java.
I tried to watch but the link took me to lots of words , no video
It gets more and more difficult each day trying to tell myself not all Muslims are evil. May God watch over these women and keep them safe.
Maybe if u right click it and "save as"
So much for the religion of peace.
I watched and it ended before the decision.
What was the verdict?
Indonesian Sunday School Teachers Sentenced to Three Years in Prison
Islamic extremists again threaten violence before court session.
by Sarah Page
DUBLIN, September 1 (Compass) -- Indonesian judges today sentenced three women to three years in prison for allowing Muslim children to attend a Christian Sunday school program.
Rebekka Zakaria, Eti Pangesti and Ratna Bangun received the sentence after judges found them guilty of violating the Child Protection Act of 2002, which forbids “deception, lies or enticement” causing a child to convert to another religion. The maximum sentence for violation of the Act is five years in prison and a fine of 100 million rupiah ($10,226).
The Sunday school teachers had instructed the children to get permission from their parents before attending the program, and those who did not have permission were asked to go home, according to Jeff Hammond of Bless Indonesia Today, a Christian foundation operating out of Jakarta. None of the children had converted to Christianity.
When the verdict was announced at 11 a.m. local time, the courtroom crowd erupted with shouts of “Allahu akbar” (“God is great”). The women plan to appeal the conviction.
A source who spoke with Zakaria by phone as the three women were waiting to be taken into the courtroom for the verdict said she was calm and confident. Zakaria said the situation did not look hopeful but that some day, “in God’s time,” all three women would “walk free from the prison.”
The three women, described by friends as “ordinary housewives,” were relieved that they had not been given the maximum five-year prison sentence. All three, however, were devastated at the prospect of being separated from their children, who range from 6 to 19 years of age.
As they have done throughout the trial, Islamic extremists made murderous threats both inside and outside the courtroom. Hammond said several truckloads of extremists arrived; one brought a coffin to bury the accused if they were found innocent.
“The ladies, witnesses and judges were constantly under the threats of violence from hundreds of Islamic radicals who threatened to kill the three ladies, witnesses, pastors, missionaries and even the judges if the women were acquitted,” Hammond told Compass.
Before a court proceeding on August 25, the Islamic radicals warned the judges that they were willing to shed their own blood if the women were not found guilty.
Paul Marshall, a senior fellow at Freedom House’s Center for Religious Freedom, said the case could establish a dangerous precedent. “It’s especially troubling and worrisome since it occurred in Indonesia, a country long known for its relative religious freedom,” Marshall said. “If it signifies the future direction of the country, the consequences will be terrible.”
Zakaria, Pangesti and Bangun were arrested on May 13 after members of the local Majelis Ulama Indonesia (MUI or Muslim Clerics council) discovered that Muslim children were attending a Christian education program run by the women. Some of the children had asked for and received Bibles.
Defense attorneys pointed out that several of the Muslim parents had been photographed with their children during the Sunday school activities, proof that they had permitted their children to attend. When Muslim leaders lodged a complaint, however, the parents refused to testify in support of the women.
No witnesses, defense attorneys had told the court, testified or provided evidence of the charges that he women had lied, deceived, or forced the children into change their religion. Also, they said, witnesses who testified against the women had no first-hand knowledge of the educational program and were speaking from hearsay.
The “Happy Sunday” program was established to meet legal requirements for a local elementary school.
Zakaria, who pastors the Christian Church of David’s Camp in Harguelis, Indramayu district, West Java, was approached by the school in August 2003 and asked to provide a Christian education program for Christian students, in line with the National Education System Bill that came into effect in June of that year.
The women launched the program in September 2003. It proved popular, and Muslim children soon began to attend with the verbal consent of their parents.
Church Closures
Since the first accusations were made, Muslim authorities in West Java have forced Zakaria’s church to close. Muslim leaders have forced at least 60 unlicensed churches in West Java to shut down over the past year, with minimal intervention from the government.
A spike in church closures during the Indramayu trial has drawn coverage in the national press. An article in The Jakarta Post on August 31 quoted Police Chief Insp. Gen. Firman Gani, who said police would protect licensed churches from forcible closure. The police would, however, uphold a 1969 ministerial decree that required all houses of worship to obtain a permit from local authorities.
The Post also quoted the Minister of Home Affairs, M. Ma’ruf, who said the government planned to review the controversial decree as it was “no longer relevant.”
An editorial in the same newspaper said the forced closure of churches had reached an alarming level, and the government seemed to have no political will to uphold freedom of religion as guaranteed in the constitution.
The writer concluded, “It is time now to stop pretending that Indonesia is a perfect model for religious tolerance ... the people of this nation are less tolerant now toward differences in religion.”
Thank you!
And praise the Lord for their sentencing and may He give mercy and grace to these precious sisters in Christ!
Thank God that the judges were held back by the Holy Spirit, and possibly the law, from handing them over to the demons begging for their deaths.
Sad for the children, but we know God will have His way with those that hate Him.
A fine example of Islamic "justice" for dhimmis.
bump
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