West Java, a crowd of 150 Muslims block construction of Protestant church
ICC Note: Demonstration of Muslims prompts authorities to revoke the building permits.
by Mathias Hariyadi
2/12/10 Indonesia (AsiaNews) – A crowd of over 150 Muslims in the village of Curug Mekar, in the sub district of West Bogor (West Java province), staged a protest against the building permit (IMB) of a Protestant church. The event has prompted local authorities to revoke the authorization, justifying the decision by alleged “irregularities” in the collection of signatures needed for the building of the place of Christian worship.
At the center of the controversy is the Protestant Church of Yasmin in the village of Curug Mekar. Yesterday Bambang Gunawan, executive secretary of local government, assured the protesters that “we need to review the process that led to the issuance of the building permit.” The issue will be discussed today before the mayor, who will decide whether to definitively confirm or withdraw the permit. The words uttered by the Executive Secretary unleashed demonstrators’ joy.
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