Muslim war on Christians.

Indonesia, Moluccas--Anti-Christian violence in various countries with a Muslim majority continues to escalate in the new millennium (see earlier report in C.I. March & July/August, 2000).

The Indonesian archipelago of the Moluccas (Maluku), once known as the Spice Islands, has been the scene of inter-religious conflicts for more than 18 months. Many Christians in the islands are Protestants, but there is also a sizeable Catholic group.

A Moluccan church source says the initial conflicts "have given way to planned massacres. Violence in the islands certainly began as a conflict between certain Muslim and Christian groups. But since the arrival in the islands of thousands of Jihad fighters, there is a straightforward endeavour to clear the Moluccas of everything that is Christian" (Tablet, July 8). Prominent among the attackers is the Laskar Jihad, a force of 30,000 guerrillas, mainly from Java, equipped with ultra-modem weaponry and with a supporting network throughout Indonesia.

According to some sources, over 4,000 people of both faiths, but mostly Christian, have been killed since hostilities began; others have put the figure much higher. There are already 500,000 homeless. Recent reports document massacres in Christian villages, in the latest of which, at the village of Waai on July 7, 22 people were killed and 60 wounded. Violence extends even to the outskirts of the capital, Ambon, with shootings, bombings, and destruction of Christian property, including schools and health centres as well as churches. Since the first week of July, Abdurrahman Wahid, Indonesia's president, who has since delegated power to his V.P., has declared a civil state of emergency on the islands.

Thousands of Christians have been forced to flee their homes and seek refuge in the hills, where there is a dearth of food, shelter and medical aid. On June

29, five hundred of these people crowded into the Cahaya Bahari ferryboat to cross from the northern island of Halmahera to safety in Sulawesi. The overcrowded vessel, built for 270, went down in a storm. There were only 10 survivors.

The town of Waai, a fishing community, was attacked again on July 30 and left deserted and in ruins. People have taken refuge in the forest and remain there in fear of their lives. The government's attitude is that the violence is an internal problem and that they themselves will control it, although they welcome outside humanitarian aid. Church leaders, however, are calling into question the attitude of the government's armed forces. The local commander at Ambon was recently replaced by a Hindu, Colonel Yasa who was presented as impartial towards both Christians and Muslims. Church sources, however, say that Yasa was aware in advance of the Waai attack and did nothing to prevent it. They further assert that many of the regular troops side with the Muslim guerrillas who, in many cases, are armed with army standard-issue weapons.

In early July, Bishop Petrus Canisius Mandagi of Ambon left for Europe in the company of Protestant and moderate Muslim leaders. Their mission was to seek help and make a plea for the human rights of their people to the U.N. Security Council and the European Union. Since the bishop's return, President Wahid has seemed more open to the idea of international intervention as the violence seems daily more out of control.