When will the killing end?

World stands by as Indonesia is torn apart by religious strife
By Citra Sidhu
THE CHURCHES of Indonesia have appealed for international intervention in the Moluccas, following violent clashes between Muslims and Christians.
The Indonesian Communion of Churches accused the Indonesian military of complicity in attacks on Christians and Church property and charged it with seeking to "Islamise" the Spice Islands, which has seen the worst of the violence over recent weeks.
Indonesian police said last week that they had been forced to shoot suspected troublemakers in an attempt to end the violence that has now spread to and laid waste the tourist island of Lombok. Since Muslim mobs began rampaging last Monday, the police have shot at least 54 people, with five fatalities. President Abdurrahman Wahid said: "We are patient to a certain point but when it's transgressed we will take harsh actions." Thousands of Muslims burned and desecrated 18 out of 24 churches and attacked Christians. Most of the churches on Lombok are now covered in obscene and threatening graffiti. Violence was also reported on the neighbouring island of Sumbawa and in Sulawesi, where 200 Muslims attacked six Christians on a university campus in the region.
Despite the deployment of police around the capital city of Jakarta, the scale of the attacks and the fears over the large numbers of militant Muslims believed set to descend on the city have left few people confident that the security forces can deal with the escalating problem.
In England pressure has grown for the Indonesian authorities to stamp out the inter-religious violence.
iWilfred Wong of the Christian human rights group Jubilee campaign warned this week: If this Islamicisation succeeds, it will have catastrophic results throughout Indonesia and the rest of south-east Asia. The international community ignores the gravity of this situation at its own peril."
At the request of the Jubilee Campaign, a crossparty Early Day Motion on the violence was tabled late last week by a number of MPs who are angry at the British government's decision to lift the EU arms embargo against Indonesia.
Labour MP Win Griffiths said he was deeply disappointed by the decision, in the light of the escalating violence in the Spice Islands.
He said: "Much more international pressure needs to be put on the Indonesian government and military to stop the bloodshed, which is why we are calling for the Moluccan situation to be closely linked to arms sales and IMF assistance to Indonesia."
Meanwhile, the House of Lords discussed tensions between Christians and Muslin's in Pakistan last week.
Commenting on the country's human rights abuse record, Lord Alton of Liverpool called for the repeal of the 1996 Blasphemy Laws which, he said, have been used as a weapon against Christians.
In 1990, the death penalty was imposed for breach of those laws. "This is an open invitation to any fanatical group to bear false witness," Lord Alton said.
Two Christians have been executed following false accusations.
Such accusations have also sparked anti-Christian riots. In February 1997, a mob of 30,0000 rioters burned down homes, churches and shops belonging to Christians in the Punjab province.