Christians in Central Java demand the demolition of five mosques...wait, what?

If only it were that easy to destroy Christianity, we would be praying five times a day by now.

It is.

From AsiaNews December 5

Central Java, Islamic extremists against Christians: five churches at risk demolition

Jakarta (AsiaNews) - An Islamic extremist group in Pracimantoro, a town in the district of Wonogiri, in central Java, has appealed to local government for the demolition of five Protestant churches in the area.

The alarm is launched by Theophilus Bela, human rights activist and promoter of interfaith dialogue, according to whom that the fundamentalists complaint claims the Christian communities lack the building permits (IMB) for places of worship. The tension in the area is steadily increasing, and rumors of threats of demolition, circulating since yesterday evening in a series of documents, is not contributing to calming tempers. Previously, adds the Christian activist, extremist threats have focused on nine other churches in Bekasi regency, West Java.

The procedure for the construction of a church in Indonesia - Catholic or Protestant - is complicated and it can take five to ten years to obtain all required permits. The procedure is governed by the Izin Mendirikan Bangunan (IMB), a written resolution that allows the opening of a building site and is issued by local authorities.

The story gets more complicated when it comes to a place of Christian worship: it has to be cleared by a quorum of residents in the area where the building is to be constructed and the local Interreligious Dialogue committee. And "unspecified reasons" that lead officials to block the projects, under pressure from radical Islamic movements often take over.

And you thought your local planning council was a tough nut to crack.

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