ICC Note: It is usually the more radicalized Muslim youth that carry out attacks like these on Christians and on the Christian church. Fortunately, in this case, the incident is bringing the pastor and the predominantly Muslim community in which he lives closer together.
By Katey Hearth
09/11/2015 China (Mission News Network)
Muslims and Christians aren’t known for working together. But in rural Indonesia, Muslims and Christians in a small village are going “against the grain.”
Four radical Muslims brutally attacked Pastor Yuda, an indigenous church planter in Borneo supported by Forgotten Missionaries International (FMI).
“Pastor Yuda, even as we speak, was being transported to another hospital where there’s imaging equipment so that they could take some brain scans and see if there’s any bleeding in the brain, bone chips of skull–anything that would need to be removed,” reports FMI’s Bruce Allen.
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In the middle of the night, four radically-aligned Muslims from the Melayu tribe began their attack by hurling large rocks at the church building, trying to destroy it.
When Pastor Yuda awoke and took in the scene, “they started to run,” Allen shares.
“He ran after them, simply to ask what they were doing and why they were doing it…. One turned on him, produced a metal hammer, and began to pound Pastor Yuda’s head with it, causing severe injury.”
A neighbor, who was also awakened by the noise, came to Pastor Yuda’s aid and was able to “rush” him to a hospital. But, in rural Borneo, any type of transportation isn’t fast, and it isn’t smooth.
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Pastor Yuda’s village is 98% Muslim, and “the leader of that village, although he’s Muslim, does not want any conflict between Muslims and Christians or the church members in that area,” Allen shares.
Attacks like these also have the potential to pit tribal members against Christians. Fortunately, “many of the people in his congregation are from the very tribe of these attackers,” says Allen.
Typically, Pastor Yuda’s village hums with the quiet activity of farmers belonging to either the Melayu or Dayak tribe. The unusual facts surrounding this attack leads FMI’s leadership team to suspect outsiders.
“The church has been under small attacks in the past–usually from outsiders, usually from a radical Muslim group,” shares Allen.
This unfortunate incident in rural Borneo has united Muslims and Christians. But, as any survivor of head trauma knows, the journey ahead for Pastor Yuda and his family could be a long one.
Depending on the exact extent of Pastor Yuda’s trauma, he could be facing at least several weeks of bed rest and pain medication, with the potential of surgery and recovery-based therapy.
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