Indonesian Muslims Fear Christianization

27/06/2007
05:00:46 PM GMT
IslamOnline

JAKARTA - Indonesian Muslims are worried about a growing Christianization drive in the world's most populous Muslim country led by Indonesian Chinese, the economic heavyweights.

"The missionaries ability to come and give food as well as other services coupled with government corruption in providing alternatives allows this problem to swell," Dr. Mohammad Siddiq, Executive Director of Dewan Dakwah Islamiyah Indonesia, told IslamOnline.

He believes that Christianization is a major problem persisting in Indonesia and that one of its chief reasons is poverty.

Siddiq, whose group leads the fight against this drive, said Christians use social services to spread their message.

He added that tsunami-ravaged Aceh was a prime example with missionaries pouring into the area to deliver aid and their message.

The same pattern occurred in other places including Yogyakarta after a devastating earthquake last year.

Siddiq said people disaffected by abject poverty coupled with frequent natural disasters and little knowledge about their own religion have created similar scenarios.

The PKS, an Islamic political and social activist group, says Indonesians are very open and accepting people, thus easily influenced.

If someone comes and treats Indonesians well, giving them money, jobs and food as some missionary groups do, their heart becomes attached to the person.

"The Indonesians think with their heart, if you win their heart you win their soul," said one PKS activist.

Many Indonesian Muslims look up for wealthy Muslim countries to help them withstand such temptations.