Listeners:
Top listeners:
-
play_arrow
Christian Graves Vandalized In Indonesia
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
JAKARTA (Worthy News) – Over a dozen Christian graves at three cemeteries in Indonesia’s Special Region of Yogyakarta were reportedly vandalized from May 16 to 19 as part of a broader anti-Christian campaign in areas of the world’s largest Muslim nation.
On the island of Java, at least 10 Christian graves at the Ngentak Public Cemetery in Baturetno village, Banguntapan, Bantul Regency, Yogyakarta were damaged, Christians said.
Five other graves at the Baluwarti Public Cemetery in Kampung Kembang Basen, Purbayan village, Kotagede, Yogyakarta, also sustained damage
“As a wife whose husband has passed away, I am sad,” said Sri Hana Sukarti, whose husband’s body was buried in the Ngentak Public Cemetery. “I only found out about the destruction of the grave on Sunday after coming home from church,” she added in published remarks.
Rights activists and Christian leaders urged Indonesian authorities to investigate the “desecration” of the graves and to halt such attacks in the future.
In remarks to the media, they also demanded that authorities refrain from labeling such incidents as “isolated cases” unrelated to religious intolerance or hatred.
Police in Yogyakarta province suggested they take the attacks seriously, arresting a 16-year-old student on May 19 on charges of “vandalizing” Catholic and Protestant Christian graves in the area.
SUSPECT INVESTIGATED
The police did not disclose the whole identity of the suspect, introduced him with the initials ANFS, and claimed “he suffers from mental illness.”
However, “The suspect admitted the crime and said he acted alone,” said Bantul Police spokesman Nengah Jeffry Prana Widnyana, adding that he will undergo psychiatric tests.
This is not related to religion, more of a family issue, he said, adding that he often fought with his mother after his father died.
However, Christians and other officials have suggested the attacks are part of a broader pattern of intolerance toward minority Christians in Indonesia.
“The desecration of graves should get serious attention,” said Bonar Tigor Naipospos, a Christian and senior researcher at Setara Institute for Democracy and Peace, a Jakarta-based advocacy group focused on democracy, political freedom, and human rights.
He suggested in published remarks that the destruction of graves is not a prank or just ordinary juvenile delinquency. “This is related to hatred. The underlying cause and background still need to be investigated.”
Abdul Halim, the chief government official in Bantul Regency, told local media that “vandalism of graves was illogical.”
DESECRATION OF GRAVES
Yet the desecration of Christian graves is not new in Indonesia, according to Christian researchers.
On April 6, 2019, Christian graves were vandalized at the Bethesda Mrican cemetery in Yogyakarta. Earlier on December 17, 2018, local Muslim residents reportedly opposed the burial of a Christian man, Albertus Selamet Sugihardi, at the Jambon Public Cemetery, Yogyakarta.
He was buried with approval from the authorities, but the cross at his tomb was later vandalized, Christians said.
In June 2021, a group of students from a nearby school vandalized Christian graves at the Cemoro Kembar Public Cemetery in Central Java province.
Indonesia has also seen attacks and threats against churches. “However, we are fasting and praying,” said a woman who only used the name Victoria.
She told Worthy News that she continues organizing and supporting home church meetings, prayer services, and evangelism despite opposition in a Muslim area.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
Investigations continued Friday after a suspected Islamist gunman opened fire in a classroom at Old Dominion University in the U.S. state of Virginia on Thursday, killing a Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) instructor and wounding two others before he was subdued by students and died, officials said.
All six crew members aboard a U.S. refueling aircraft have died after the plane crashed over western Iraq, the U.S. military confirmed Friday, as fighting between the United States, Israel, and Iran continued to intensify.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Friday that Iran’s newly installed supreme leader is likely wounded, disfigured, and hiding underground as the Islamic Republic reels from the opening blows of the war with the United States and Israel.
Bible sales in Britain have surged to their highest levels since records began, reflecting a growing spiritual interest across the nation—particularly among younger generations.
A damaged Russian gas tanker is drifting unmanned through the Mediterranean Sea, prompting Malta to prepare emergency measures while tensions linked to the war in Ukraine spill into Europe’s energy and security landscape.
Iran launched a new wave of drone and missile attacks on Gulf countries Thursday, the 13th day of the United States-Israel war against Tehran, with strikes reported in Bahrain and other states, sending oil prices sharply higher and raising concerns among foreign workers, including Christians.
Nearly 25,000 Christians, many of them impoverished sanitation workers and day laborers, face possible eviction from their homes in Pakistan’s capital after authorities ordered them to vacate two settlements within days, Christians familiar with the situation confirmed Thursday.
WHO WE ARE
The Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs encapsulate the beauty, wisdom, and eternal truths found in the Bible, creating an immersive experience that resonates with believers and seekers alike.
CONTACT
- +1 908 280-4246
- Essex County, USA
- info@tnjrfm.com