Christian Victim Forgives Muslim Suicide Church Bomber in Indonesia
A suicide bomber attacked a packed Indonesian church on Sunday in Solo, part of Java, a centrally located region in the country. At least 27 people were wounded, and the bombing caused havoc and panic in and around the Bethel Injil Church.
Only the suicide bomber died in the attack but nails, nuts, and bolts went flying throughout the church and injured over a dozen church members.
One of the injured victims, Hair Daniel Restono, told Open Doors that he forgives the bomber because he did not know what he was doing. He added, that regretfully, the bomber thought this was the right way to practice his religion.
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A worshipper, Kristanto, told the AFP, “I was about to head home when a very loud explosion shocked me. A crowd of people from inside the church rushed to the streets.”
He added, “They were screaming and very hysterical. The peaceful Sunday has quickly become a chaotic situation.”
The bomber has been identified as a member of the Cirebon network. The same network attacked a Mosque in April.
Indonesia is an officially secular nation and has the highest Muslim population of any nation in the world.
The attacks are raising new concerns over possibly growing sectarian violence and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono addressed the violence over television on Sunday saying that terrorism remains a real threat in Indonesia.
Other terrorist attacks in the country have been focused on political figures, police, government officials, and moderate Muslims.
Open Doors has ranked Indonesia as No. 48 on the Open Doors 2012 World Watch Lost of 50 worst persecutors of Christians.
