AMBON CITY, Indonesia (BP)–Thousands of Christians in Indonesia are begging for political intervention to stop the religious cleansing they are suffering at the hands of Muslim extremists.
Christians worldwide can help by encouraging media and government attention to the plight of innocent civilians who are being killed or forced to convert to Islam.
Advocates for the beleaguered Christians have listed several questions Christians can use as they petition lawmakers, media agencies and other political groups:
— Why are the United States government and others in the international community not doing more about the ongoing fighting that has resulted in bloodshed, maiming and destruction during the past two years?
— What has happened to the many ferries that have disappeared while trying to deliver Christian refugees fleeing from islands in the Malukus?
— Why are 90 percent of the refugees Christian?
— What is the ultimate goal of the Laskar Jihad, which has acted as a catalyst for the fighting since the beginning of the conflict?
— Why are the more isolated islands of the Malukus, such as Halmahera, Ternate, Tidore and Buru, now isolated? Is it because Christians have been forced to flee as jihad fighters invaded the islands?
— What actions has the Indonesian military taken in these remote areas?
— Why are there not neutral, peacekeeping observers throughout the Malukus?
— If this were a cleansing affecting other ethnic and religious groups, such as Kosovars or Rwandans, would the international community be silent?
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