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Young Catholics in Arcamanik, Indonesia, have peacefully stopped an Islamic mob from ending a Holy Saturday service.

The “Security Task Force” was comprised mostly of Young Catholics (OMK), some police, and a small number of Muslim residents concerned about Christian rights.

According to the local humanist news outfit Bandung Bergerak, the Islamic protests are part of a two-year campaign against Arcamanik’s Christian minority.

Assault on Religious Freedom and Property Rights

A majority of Muslim residents are pressuring authorities to ban the Santa Odilia congregation from using the building as a church.

The Muslim action group Arcamanik Berbhineka Citizens Communication Forum (FKAB) have accused the church of breaking the law by converting the building.

Since the general public uses the building for weddings and General Elections, the Islamic resident group argues that the building belongs to them.

Countering FKAB’s claims, the church asserted, with evidence, that both the land and the building belong to the congregation.

Additionally, the building and land have “never functioned as a Fasum (Public) or Fasos (social) facility.”

Neither was the building, built in 1989, declared public property.

“GSG Arcamanik” was intended to be a place for Christian gatherings.

Public access, they added, is solely at the discretion of the Church.

Public use is “an initiative in accordance with the policy of the Bandung Diocese,” not by order of the majority Muslim Indonesian government.

Dyah Nur Sasanti, a Church representative, explained to Bergerak that the building and land were church property.

“We use it for mass and community activities. The larger community is also in a position to borrow it,” he said.

“We open the space as wide as possible, as long as it does not conflict with the existing schedule.”

Notably, the Christian community in Arcamanik is rapidly expanding.

So much so, the Church is in the process of acquiring a building permit to accommodate the Bandung suburb’s growing 1,400-strong congregations.

Originally founded by the Dutch in 1810, Bandung is 97% Muslim and has a population of over 2.7 million.

Arcamanik has over 68,000, of which approximately 15% are Christian.

Islamic Group Clashes With Police

Saturday’s Easter service wasn’t completely without disruption.

Some Islamic activists did manage to break through police lines.

International Christian Concern (ICC) said some FKAB members tried to rush the police guard.

Others clashed with police as FKAB members attempted to force their way into the church “through a side door.”

This is the same Islamic group whose Ash Wednesday demonstrations forced the church to abandon its Lenten services in early March, ICC recalled.

Also reporting on the Muslim mob’s mass intimidation, Cruxnow added that the FKAB demonstrators – some of whom are from outside the area – have also rallied against Christians building a church in Arcamanik.

This is in spite of the Church’s efforts to work with Indonesian authorities.

Faith in the Face of Persecution

Speaking with Crux, Bishop of Bandung, Antonius Subianto Bunjamin, said the church had permission to run Ash Wednesday services.

“We got permission, and even the authorities guaranteed that the liturgical service would be secure.”

Disregarding these facts, the Islamic group still harasses and hates the church throughout “many areas in Bandung.”

“The hall belongs to us, but they claim it as a shared facility belonging to society.”

Bandung’s Bishop then said, “We pray for them.”

“We are proud of the Catholic faithful who dare give witness to their Catholic faith and to Muslim friends who dare to help and protect us.”

“May this difficult situation improve our faith and commitment as Catholics within Islamic society,” he concluded.

54 Churches serve 57,000 Catholics in Bandung.

As Arcamanik’s 1,000-plus Catholics with no church shows, these churches are not evenly distributed.

This isn’t just about a Christian’s right to live for Christ in a supposed free society dominated by Islam.

This case is also about property rights.

As was made evident by the small number of non-violent Muslims who, in perhaps noting they could be next, refused to feed FKAB’s judicial jihad.

Add to this the example of young Indonesian Christians.

They put themselves at risk by making sure irate Islamic activists hellbent on attacking their Easter celebrations didn’t become a mass casualty event.

Arcamanik’s Christian community is thriving in the face of direct opposition.

Although seemingly microscopic, this should register as faith in the face of persecution.

Soli Deo Gloria!

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Photo via Wikimedia Commons.