Vizzle

Christians in Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority country, are facing escalating intimidation, death threats and protests from radical Islamist groups attempting to prevent them from building churches or holding religious services, even inside private homes. According to an investigation by the Daily Caller, Islamist groups are exploiting Indonesia's strict religious permitting laws to obstruct Christian worship, sometimes threatening violence against congregations that refuse to close their churches. In late September, a Muslim man armed with a machete interrupted a prayer gathering attended by approximately 40 Christians, threatening them with bloodshed unless they stopped worshipping. "If you don't close it, bloodshed will occur inside," the man warned, declaring that he was not afraid to die for Allah. The terrified worshippers fled. Rather than immediately arresting the man, local authorities arranged a mediation meeting in which he apologized. Officials subsequently ordered the prayer house closed. In another incident, six Christians worshipping inside a private residence were ordered to suspend their religious services. The pastor said one neighborhood official slammed a table and threatened to have the Christians arrested and killed if they resisted. At least 11 places of worship have faced construction suspensions following protests this year. During an October protest, an Islamist speaker warned that the local Muslim community was furious about plans to establish a church, accusing Christians of threatening the religious identity of future generations and warning that the building could eventually be dismantled. Christian pastor Dedi Saputra was sentenced to two years in prison in July 2026 on blasphemy and hate-speech charges related to Christian evangelism on TikTok following his conversion from Islam.