Teaching a lesson

Indonesia | West Java court makes examples of three Sunday school teachers | Priya Abraham

If Indonesian radicals are keeping a tally of their wins and losses, the first two weeks of September delivered one of each. On Sept. 13 a court handed down a death sentence for a terrorist who helped plan and execute a suicide bombing that killed 10 at Jakarta's Australian embassy last year—a rare verdict compared to sentencing of terrorists in the West. By contrast, radical Muslims won a case that is little known but could be menacing for the archipelago's minority Christians.

On Sept. 1 a West Java court gave three-year sentences to three Sunday school teachers for including Muslim children in their local church program, called Happy Sunday. More specifically, the court convicted the three women under Indonesia's Child Protection Act of 2002, which prohibits influencing children to convert to a different religion. The convictions amplify a Muslim drive against church activities. But it also sets a worrying precedent.

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September 24, 2005, Vol. 20, No. 37

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