Tentena bombings a blow to Muslim, Christian coexistence

Tentena bombings a blow to Muslim, Christian coexistence

Bhimanto Suwastoyo, Agence France-Presse/Tentena

Whether the work of shadowy Islamic extremists from outside the
region or local agitators, a deadly bombing in the Central
Sulawesi town of Tentena will unravel months of painstaking
effort to reconcile warring Christians and Muslims there,
community leaders say.

Two bombs exploded minutes apart in a busy market place in the
predominantly Christian town early Saturday, killing 20 people
and leaving more than 50 injured.

Although officials say the attack could be the work of Islamic
militants blamed for other major atrocities, and some local
observers have accused the Indonesian security forces of
involvement, the bomb blasts have threatened to reignite
sectarian tensions that have previously led to widespread
bloodshed.

Efforts to rein in conflict in the region, where more than
1,000 died in a year of fighting before a 2001 peace deal, have
had patchy success, with sporadic violence continuing to claim
lives.

But senior negotiators say the latest incident, the worst
single attack in the region, has dealt a crippling blow to the
fragile peace effort.

"With this incident we will have to start from scratch again,"
said Reynaldi Damanik, the head of the Central Sulawesi Christian
church, who has been at the forefront of the peace efforts.

Damanik in January this year set up with his Muslim
counterpart Adnan Nazar the Humanitarian Alliance, a group of 40
representatives from both religions working to mend fences
between the two communities.

"We have now to convince the people that this is not a matter
of religion but of certain individuals, regardless of their
faith, who do not want to see peace in this world," Damanik told
AFP.

While more than 85 percent of Indonesia's 214 million people
are Muslims, practicing a moderate and tolerant brand of the
religion, Sulawesi's population is equally divided between
Christianity and Islam.

Tensions between the two groups began emerging in the 1960s
under a controversial transmigration policy which encouraged
Muslims from the densely-populated main island of Java to fan out
across the archipelago.

Many indigenous and Christian communities in Sulawesi and
other parts of the country, including Maluku, felt their
interests were being sidelined by Jakarta in its effort to
reshape the nation.

The situation reached boiling point during the fall of
dictator Soeharto in 1998, when the hardships of the Asian
financial crisis in Indonesia led to violence.

In Sulawesi, open conflict broke out in 2000 and resulted in
the deaths of more than 1,000 people before a tentative peace
deal was struck.

Until Saturday, the Christian enclave of Tentena had been one
of the few places in Sulawesi's Poso regency where Muslims could
live in peace with their Christian neighbors.

On May 23, Christians and Muslims both took part in a ceremony
to mark Prophet Muhammad's birthday at the town's main mosque.

"But now, things have certainly changed. The old animosity is
back," Damanik said.

Anger at the blast has stoked resentment towards the
government and security forces, widely perceived as doing little
to prevent the violence. Police reinforcements at the scene of
the blast were greeted with jeers on Sunday.

"This has nothing to do with religion, this has everything to
do with the narrow interest of a certain number of irresponsible
individuals," said Adnan Nazar, head of the local Muslim
Communication Forum which was working with Damanik's group.

"What is important is that people don't fall into acting
recklessly and jeopardize the prospect of peace in Poso and
Central Sulawesi."

Both sides have been swift in their attempts to limit the
damage. A delegation of Muslim leaders arrived from Poso on
Sunday to meet their Christian counterparts to discuss how to
lessen tensions.

The Muslims have also sent ambulances, doctors, and medicines.

"It will not be an easy challenge to face, but we are ready to
take the chance," Damanik said. "Peace is imperative. We have
been living in violence for too long."