Militant threat in Pacific island: CEN 5.01.09 p 8. May 5, 2009
Posted by geoconger in Anglican Church of Melanesia, Church of England Newspaper, Islam.trackback
Militant Islam poses a threat to social stability in the Solomon Islands, the Bishop of Malaita tells The Church of England Newspaper. Muslim missionaries funded by Malaysian and Saudi Islamist groups have led to heightened tensions in the South Pacific nation, which erupted in violence in December after a Muslim leader attacked an Anglican priest.
On Dec 16, the Rev. James Utamaesia was beaten by Jack Rade, leader of the Muslim League Community of East Malaita. Provincial Police Commander David Diosi told the Solomon Star Rade had threatened to cut off Fr. Utamaesia’s head and “destroy anyone who goes against the will” of the Muslim League.
The attack was allegedly in retaliation for Anglican youths having throne stones at a Muslim League truck, police said.
On Jan 5, Malaita Bishop Sam Sahu met with Muslim leaders and urged them to turn over Rade to the police to forestall retaliation or communal violence. Muslim community leaders agreed to surrender Rade to the police and discussed the rising tensions between the Muslim and Christian communities.
The bishop said although the meeting was productive, there were disagreements on certain issues that were discussed, such as “Who is Jesus?”
Bishop Sahu told CEN that “at the moment relations between the Muslim followers and the Anglican community on Malaita are fine” in the wake of the interfaith talks. “We agreed to respect each other and to ask our members to remain calm while we deal with the situation on the ground.”
However, “the form of Muslim religion we are experiencing on Malaita tends to be aggressive, militant, in nature,” Bishop Sahu said.
“The Christian churches and the Government must be quick to realise that that Islam in the Solomon Islands and on Malaita in particular, has a capacity for thinking strategically, acting structurally and working towards ‘conversion’ of Christians and non-Christians to Allah and the Muslim faith.”
“They enter this country, as they do in other developing countries, in the name of business and development, using money from the rich Arab world, only to spread Islam. As a church leader I can speak for many people on Malaita and the Solomon Islands as a whole: We want to remain as a Christian country; we can accommodate moderate Muslims but not militant Muslims,” Bishop Sahu said.
