From Jihad Watch and Winds of Jihad:
Indonesia: Muslims demand removal of Buddha statue on temple roof
And of course the statue is going to be removed. Islamic Tolerance Alert from modern, moderate Indonesia. "Buddhist Statue Draws Islamists' Ire," by Arientha Primanita, Bilhuda Haryanto and Aidi Yursal for the Jakarta Globe, October 22 (thanks to Larry):
Jakarta. Buddhists are the latest minority religious group to feel the heat, being at the center of a festering row over a large Buddha statue on the roof of a temple in the North Sumatran city of Tanjung Balai.
City council chief Surya Dharma said on Friday the governor and the foundation in charge of the temple had agreed to remove the statue after complaints from an Islamic group.
"The letter of agreement was signed in August and we agreed to relocate the statue to a more respectful location inside the temple," Surya said.
But the offending 6-meter statue continues to sit on top of the three-storey temple in the city center.
"The foundation promised us that the relocation would be conducted by a construction team from Bandung," Surya said.
The relocation was endorsed by the Religious Affairs Ministry's department dealing with Buddhist affairs.
The Forum for United Muslims, a local coalition of Muslim groups, has been agitating for the statue to be removed, holding repeated protests in May and June.
Baharuddin Berutu, of North Sumatra's Islamic Community Council, said it was frivolous to exaggerate the issue. "The mayor decided on the best solution and it was agreed to by the temple," he said.
"By not exaggerating the issue, we have been able to maintain harmony between religious communities."...
Yes, giving in to intolerant Muslim demands is virtually everyone's idea of how to maintain harmony. Just ask Juan Williams.
Posted by Robert on October 23, 2010 11:50 PM
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