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Indonesia: “I Will Keep Loving Jesus Forever”

Published on October 16th, 2005

Indonesia

Merpati is a high school student in the Muslim country of Indonesia. Muslims worship Allah, who they believe is the creator of the world. They do not believe salvation from sin is by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ. It is against the Indonesian government’s rules to lead a non-Christian to Christ.

One thousand students go to Merpati’s school, but only three of them are Christians. Merpati is one of the three. Her family is Muslim. Here is her story. (The story below is translated, paraphrased, and edited from original testimonies. Merpati’s name has been changed to protect her identity.)

“After I became a Christian, I dared to bring my Bible to school. All my friends, my Muslim friends, are curious about the Book. They also want to read the Bible, so I let them.

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Ani: “We Are Not Shocked by Suffering”

Published on October 1st, 2005

Indonesia

Workers from The Voice of the Martyrs talked with a Christian girl named Ani in Indonesia. Two years before the interview, Ani’s village was attacked by radical “Laskar Jihad” Muslims. The attackers burned Ani’s home and church. Sadly, Ani’s grandfather died in the attack. Ani and her grandmother escaped into the forest. Here is what Ani told the VOM workers.

VOM: How old are you?
Ani: I am 16.

VOM: Tell me about going to school.
Ani: I am in the first grade of senior high school. I study at school from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. I like all subjects, but I especially hope I can have success in English.

VOM: Where do you and your family live?
Ani: All of my family, including my grandmother, live in a refugee camp. I am not living with them. I’m living with a family in another district, because I have to go to school in this area.

VOM: What does your house look like?
Ani: The walls are made of bamboo, the roof of leaves, and the floor is soil.

VOM: Do you get enough food?
Ani: I get enough food with rice and vegetables, but I never get a balanced diet.

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Indonesia

Published on April 19th, 2004

Indonesia

Indonesia

HOSTILE

Capital
The capital of Indonesia is Jakarta.

Size
In area, Indonesia is the 16th largest country in the world. It is estimated to be the fourth largest in population, after China, India, and the United States. Source: CIA Factbook

Main Languages
Bahasa Indonesia, English, Dutch

Time
At 6 a.m. U.S. Central Standard Time, it is 6 p.m. in Jakarta.

Interesting Fact
The law allows a Muslim man to have up to four wives if he is able to take care of them equally. By law, he must get a court’s permission and the permission of his first wife to take more wives.
History
Traders from India brought Hinduism and Buddhism with them to Indonesia about 2,000 years ago. Marco Polo visited Indonesia in the 1200s. Christopher Columbus hoped to find a shorter route to Asia and Indonesia’s “Spice Islands,” where traders came to buy spices. Muslims started coming to Indonesia around 700 A.D. By 1600, nine out of 10 Indonesians were Muslims. The Dutch people of the Netherlands controlled most of Indonesia for 250 years. Indonesia became an independent country in 1945.

Religion
Most of the people in Indonesia are Muslims.

Persecution
Indonesia’s constitution says the country has freedom of religion, but Muslims often receive better treatment than non-Muslims. Local officials sometimes close Christian churches. Muslims who leave their religion to follow Christ suffer persecution from relatives, former friends, and Muslim mobs.

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