Indonesian legislator pressured to convert

Published Date: May 29, 2009

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Newly elected West Sumatra legislator, Dominikus Supriyanto, will take his seat despite threats from a Muslim group telling him to stand down or convert to Islam.

“I am not afraid of their threats. I won the seat because I was elected by local people - not only Catholics and Protestants but also Muslims,” said Dominikus Supriyanto, a parishioner of Holy Family Church in Pasaman Barat district, West Sumatra.

The 37-year-old layman was the only Catholic to win a seat in the predominantly Muslim district. He collected 1,463 votes in the April 9 general election representing the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

“They came to my house in the evening, just after the election results were declared. They shouted at me to stand down as a representative or convert to Islam,” he told UCA News recently.

The attackers also pelted his house with stones, breaking some windows, Supriyanto added. The results were declared on April 23.

Supriyanto, who is now under police protection, suspects the mastermind behind the attack is a beaten candidate in the election, who thinks that a non-Muslim is unsuitable for the legislative position.

“Religion cannot be a reason to prevent someone from being a legislator. It’s in the 1945 Constitution,” Supriyanto said.

The new representative is due to take his seat on July 18 and he suspects further opposition to his election will take place at the inauguration ceremony. He has heard rumors that several Islamic groups will stage a rally then. “I don’t know for sure if this is true or not. But if it is, I cannot let it happen,” he continued.

Supriyanto also has the backing of his party. Alex Indra Lukman, a Muslim, who heads PDI-P’s West Sumatra regional chapter, told UCA News, “The PDI-P, as a national party, does not condone such acts.”

Commenting on the attack and threats, Capuchin Bishop Martinus Dogma Situmorang of Padang, capital of West Sumatra province, said such threats are an attack on human rights and the 1945 Constitution. “It is a serious case,” he stated.

The prelate also expressed hope that the local government and other governmental institutions would resolve the matter. “This is a multidimensional crime,” he added.

SOURCE

Catholic legislator defies threats (UCA News)

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