RESPONSE TO THE SBS DATELINE PROGRAMME
Many of you in Australia may have seen the SBS programme that featured the conflict
in Central Sulawesi. I was in email contact with the reporter of the programme before
it went to air so I was interested to see the result. In summary, as far as the secular
media goes, I felt it was a fair representation of the events in Central Sulawesi. For me
the most touching part was watching and hearing those kids sing and pray in the
Christmas Service in the burnt out shell of the church. Of concern to some Christian
viewers however would have been the report of a massacre of 63 Muslims by
Christians that took place in May 2000.
Jeff Hammond, served in Central Sulawesi for many years and knows the situation
intimately. When in December the US ambassador was downplaying the activities of
the Laskar Jihad in Central Sulawesi, Jeff escorted the US vice-consul into Central
Sulawesi to investigate the real situation. The vice consul later updated the
ambassador which resulted in the US getting a better grip of the truth. One of the
incidents discussed was the May 2000 attack by Christians, used by some analysts
to categorise the issue as 'sectarian/communal' conflict. Here is Jeff's response on
that issue, sent to me by email on Dec 16, 2001:
"The Vice-Consul of the US has just travelled with me into the devastated areas and
will up-date the Ambassador on what is really happening. The authorities tried to
prevent him seeing the real picture, lied to him etc. He then met me in Tentena and
asked me for help to see what was really happening. So we did. His report will be very
harsh on Indonesian authorities misrepresenting and covering up what has been
happening...It is true that when the fighting occurred in May-June 2000 that there were
attacks by Christian militia on Muslim villages. These attacks occurred due to the fact
that during the 1st attacks against the Christians in Christmas 1998 no-one was
arrested or charged. The attack was a 100% Muslim attack on Christians. There was
no war, just a savage attack destroying 180 homes and shops of Christians. Then
came the 2nd attacks at Easter 2000 when 800 homes, shops and churches were
destroyed and 15 Christians killed. Again no-one was arrested. It was not a war bu! t
a savage attack. In the 3rd round, when bombs to destroy churches and plans to kill
Christian leaders were found, the Christians, believing that the authorities and the
military would not protect them, took a US-style initiative and went after the terrorists
and attempted to arrest/neutralize the perpetrators of the 1st and 2nd rounds of
attacks. They failed. The following battles saw some 50,000 people flee, of which
20,000 were Muslims. Those fleeing, from both sides, just wanted to get out of the
"war zone". In round 3, the Christians stopped the planned massacre by the Muslims,
but some rogue elements of the Christian militia did commit excesses. The Church
told them to hand themselves in (3 men), and they were duly charged and given the
death sentence in court. Still, no Muslims were arrested for anything they did in
rounds 1-2 or 3. In April 2001, Round 4 of attacks began. This time the Christians
took a defensive position (apart from one incident). These attacks have ! gone on to
the present and still no Muslim leader has been arrested, although some muslim
military have been."
This context, given here by Jeff, doesn't excuse the violence committed by Christians
against Muslims, but it does help to put it into perspective. Many christian leaders,
such as Ps Agustina Lumentut interviewed by SBS, were shocked to hear of the
viciousness of the attack and yet struggle with issues of 'well, when is violence
justified?' Its easy for us western christians sitting in our air-conditioned church
comfort to judge the response of some christians in Central Sulawesi, but its harder to
answer the question of 'what would you and I do if put in the same predicament?' A
disturbing reality check seen on the SBS program was of the agenda of the Laskar
Jihad. Smiling and smurking, the local Laskar Jihad commander, gloated of the
success of the campaign of wiping out christian villages during November/December
last year. How would we respond if our village was next in line?
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