Tuesday, February 13, 2007

Indonesian Muslim Ulemas forcely close down home church



Paul Ciniraj,
Salem Voice Ministries

Bandung (Indonesia), SVM News, 13 February, 2007: A Muslim mob of the Anti-Proselytism Division of the Indonesian Muslim Ulemas Forum (FUUI) entered to a home church in Bandung regency in the Indonesian province and forcely stopped the worshipping service and closed the house on Sunday, the 11th of February.

Around 100 people of FUUI members and local residents involved to stop the Christian worship organised by the Group of Bethel Church International (GBI) at the house of Tayung in Padawulun village.

Tayuing's house was used on a weekly basis as a place for prayer and worship for the GBI. Almost all of the members of the church were present and they were forced to leave when the worshipping service was disrupted.

Some extremists of the local residents said that Tayung's house is situated near a mosque and it has been illegally converted into a church. "We complaint several times to GBI to stop their religious activities from that house. But we got no response". One of the leaders of the anti-Christian activities said to the SVM News Service.

It is not the first time such incidents have taken place in Bandung. Suryana Nurfatwa of the FUUI said Sunday's move was not prompted by hatred for Christians. "We are in favour of all legal churches but the GBI transformed a house into a church and this is against the law."

"One of the GBI members got drunk last week and shouted that no one can close the church", the village leader Omar Kamarudin said, "that time we decided to close their church".

It was a false accuse. Our members are not drunkards. They are saved from sin and inequities by the Saviour Jesus Christ and worshipping Him in the Spirit and the Truth", Almer, the minister of GBI told to SVM News Service.

"Getting a permit to build a place of worship in Indonesia is not easy", Almer said.

Salem Voice Ministries also having around 30 home churches like this in different parts of the country attending hundreds of muslim converts for the worship. The ministers and the believers are threatened by the fundamentalists very often. They request humble prayers from the children of God.

Read this news at the original site:
http://salemvoice.org/news141.html

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Rev. Paul Ciniraj is the founder-director of the Salem Voice Ministries. He is the Chairman of the Christian Ministers of the Churches in India (CMCI) and also one of the Co-ordinators of the Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC). He was a muslim by birth, accepted Lord Jesus Christ as his Personal Saviour and called for His ministry about 32 years ago. He is a well known Gospel Preacher and the author of many Christian books, literature and Gospel tracts. Several times he and his family were attempted to death and still facing persecutions. Around 500 missionaries of the Salem Voice Ministries spreading Gospel to the Muslim populated countries of Africa, Asia and Middle East.

Salem Voice Ministries,
Devalokam (P.O), Kottayam,
Kerala-686038, India.
http://salemvoice.org/