All faiths asked to help rebuild torched churches

By Ainur R. Sophiaan and Sirikit Syah

SURABAYA (JP): A religious minister called on people of all faiths here yesterday to help rebuild dozens of churches and buildings in East Java which were torched in religious riots last week.

Wismoady Wahono of the Indonesian Communion of Churches said it would be good if the churches were rebuilt in a spirit of friendship among all religions. He was speaking after witnessing the signing of a joint-statement by several religious organizations.

The statement of concern over religious tension in Situbondo and several small towns in East Java was signed by Fuad Anwar of the provincial branch of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Moslem organization, Choirul Anam of Ansor Youth Movement of the NU and Paul Tahalele and Thomas Santoso of the Communication Forum of Surabaya Christians.

Also at the ceremony was NU Chairman Abdurrahman Wahid, known as Gus Dur.

"We regret the incident, which included the burning of religious houses and other buildings, as an act which deviates from the Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution," the organizations said in a five point statement.

The statement said it trusted the government and security forces were committed to investigating the incident and helping restore order in Situbondo.

The statement called on religious leaders to work together for harmony between the country's diverse religions.

A riot erupted in Situbondo when thousands of Moslems got angry over what they considered was a lenient jail sentence for a Moslem man, Saleh, accused of blasphemy.

Angry mob

The angry mob burned the court house down and torched several churches, believing the defendant was hiding inside.

Wismoady, Abdurrahman Wahid and other religious leaders held a meeting before signing the statement.

Abdurrahman said the riot would not have happened if people in Situbondo understood religious tolerance.

"We must have a commitment that Islam as the majority religion does not want to rule. We must speak openly, otherwise other tragic incidents will occur," he said.

Abdurrahman rejected some journalists' suggestions that the riot might have been engineered to tarnish his name and weaken his position as NU chief.

"How? NU members there seem to be alright. I only see it (the riot) as a lack of understanding between residents, I haven't seen any other motives. Let the appropriate authorities investigate it," he said.

Separately, Situbondo District Court chief H. Firman Tanri said the court was deciding whether to proceed with the trial of Saleh.

"We'll see how the situation develops," he told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

There's only one room in the court building undamaged by fire and vandalism. This will be used for trials until the court is rebuilt, Tanri said.

"My staff now work at my house. It's our temporary office," he said.

He worried about the documents destroyed in the fire: "For criminal cases, we can borrow documents from the prosecution office and make copies. But for civil cases, where people usually keep the documents, it will be difficult to contact them all," he said.

Situbondo, some 160 kilometers east of Surabaya, looks like a ghost town: churches, cinemas, shops, schools and other public buildings have been destroyed.

And there is still tension. Residents reported that security personnel were guarding much of the town.

"The officers are easily upset, maybe because they are tense," one source said.

A reporter from Forum Keadilan magazine said he had to run and hide inside a building after he was chased by a soldier. "I was taking pictures, and he became so angry he chased me. I wanted to save my film and myself," the reporter said.

Two rolls of my film were confiscated and destroyed by a court official, he said.

A correspondent for Sinar magazine said he was chased by soldiers after taking some pictures.

"I was saved because I hid among the crowd in a market," the reporter said.

Local sources said 53 people were in custody at local police stations.

East Java Governor Basofi Sudirman said 40 people had been detained. Some of those arrested have been released but they must report daily to police.