Four Protestant churches shuttered in December by officials in the Indonesian province of West Java remain closed. According to World Watch Monitor, a news agency that reports on the persecution of Christians, the officials closed the churches following a protest by 150 Muslims.
“Using other church buildings is just a temporary solution,” said the pastor of one of the churches. “We had been applying for a permit, but local government officials didn’t respond, although all requirements had been met.”
The Southeast Asian nation of 251 million is 86% Muslim, 6% Protestant, 3% Catholic, and 2% Hindu.