Jakarta (AsiaNews) - The bishop of Agats Mgr. Murwito
Aloysius OFM has issued an official letter, in which he dismantles the claims
of the radical Muslim fringe who speak of a "historical conversion"
to Islam of a " Asmat tribal leader " an ethnic group in the eastern
Indonesian province of Papua, home to a large Christian majority. Many
sites close to Islamic extremism, but also moderate newspapers and state
television (TvRi) gave wide coverage to reports that Sinansius Kayimter, a "leading
figure" of the tribal community, having embraced the faith of Mohammed. In
fact, says the prelate, it is a case of "personal conversion" of an
ordinary citizen who has no political, social or religious significance.
The
"clarifying" letter is addressed to various Islamic agencies and
local government offices in the Asmat regency, and Msgr. Aloysius
describes the reports as, "fabricated" because the person in question
is not a tribal leader. The
rumors it seems, adds the bishop, were spread only to "inflame the social
conflict" and create "discord" and tensions among the Asmat of
Papua.
As
a representative of the Catholic Church, the letter continues, "the bishop
is morally obliged" to provide explanations that serve to clarify the
story and explain the facts. Bishop
Aloysius Murwito addresses the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) of Asmat and the
head of the local department of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, with the
intent to "strengthen the already good relations on both sides and keep
the spirit of tolerance and
harmony "dedicated to the principle of" objectivity "of the
facts.
For
this he confirms the conversion of Sinansius Kayimter (who has taken the
Islamic name of Umar Abdullah Kayimter), but the man has no office nor is he a official
representative. "In
the Asmat culture - says the bishop - the title of battle chief exists but not
that of tribal chief, or worse yet, grand chief of the tribes" with the
function of leadership on the ethnic group. There
is, on the contrary, the president of the so-called MAF (a sort of
representation of the Asmat tribal society), which is "an organization
recognized by both the Catholic Church, that the government" and the post is
currently covered by Yuvensius
Alvons Biakai SH, who was
also elected "head of the region."
The perfectly
fabricated story, concludes Mgr. Aloysius
could have a devastating impact and "create tension" within the Asmat
tribal group. For
this he "calls on the MUI and other agencies to spread enlightenment"
and re-establish the facts in order to preserve social peace.