ED262 mylineONLINE: Religion

The rule of law fails when the rulings of courts, especially the highest courts of the land, are blatantly ignored. So is the case for Indonesia's Christian communities. Tragically, a Muslim majority has attacked, protested, and hindered their fellow Christian citizens causing the shutdown of nearly 1,000 churches. Even though Indonesia is home to the world's largest Muslim population, their numbers do not grant them the power to trample over the rights of the minority. Indonesia's constitution specifically grants freedom of religion, but the constitution is only valuable if the rule of law is enforced and adhered to through human actions. Instead of honoring their constitutional values, a pervasive attitude of intolerance has manifested itself within Indonesia's Muslim majority. This intolerance is becoming extreme and hindering the rights of fellow citizens. What is most disturbing, however, is the lack of government action. Why aren't the authorities investigating and taking action? For this reason, it is important that a body like the United Nations exist so that the General Assembly can openly discuss Indonesia's religious repression, examine the evidence, and consider possible solutions. 

In a Muslim populated country you get a backlash from those people because they do not support the building of a Christian Church. Since they do not have as much freedom for speech as they do in the US, the building is always being rejected or halted which sucks. The Christians just want a peaceful place to worship.