Moderate Indonesia

There are Muslim-majority countries in the world that are moderate in their practise of Islam and their ability to more or less separate Church and State. In nudging distance of secular and democratic. Well-balanced population and social situation. Able to compromise and accept that there may exist differences between people which does not render them any less equal and due respec despite alternate culture, religion, ethnic backgrounds.

Take, for example, the most populous Muslim country in the world, Indonesia. A veritable model of moderation. Indonesia's constitution guarantees freedom of religion. Three months ago American President Barack Obama gave high praise to Indonesia's "spirit of religious tolerance", as an outstanding "example to the world", as he visited Jakarta.

Oops, perhaps not quite tolerant enough, given the 2008 law banning the Ahmadiyah Muslim sect from proselytizing. Even if they make no effort whatever to spread the good word of their different kind of Islamic worship, they are suspected of doing just that. And the cure for that is to viciously attack members of the sect.

Indonesia has suffered of late an epidemic of religious intolerance, resulting in widespread violence. Quite inexplicable, is it not, in a moderate Islamic society? Yet a Muslim lynch mob killed a handful of Amadiyah, and crowds of Indonesians fired two churches and ransacked another.

They were infuriated because of a trial for a Christian Indonesian who had just been sentenced to five years in prison for having distributed leaflets seen as insulting Islam. The mob was outraged that Antonius Bawengan did not receive the death penalty for insulting Islam. "Kill, kill", was the refrain the mob chanted outside the court.

And as they set fire to the churches, they revelled in another chant: "burn, burn". And then went on to vandalize a Catholic school. Police, responding with tear gas, had their vehicles set on fire, and were assaulted by a 1,500-strong, stone-throwing mob.

This moderate Islamic country has not yet seen fit to protect its minorities from violence. And even as President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono condemned the bloodshed, he saw fit to defend the blasphemy laws.

Fully 80% of the population is Muslim, of a total population of 240-million; the rest cower in fear when the mobs become enraged. When the fanatics among them arm with machetes, sticks and rocks and declare "Allahu Akbar"!

And the frenzy of attack begins.