A practice that is common -but why?
Reader comment on item: Alwaleed Bin Talal Denies the First French Intifada

Submitted by Mary Connor (Australia), Dec 31, 2007 at 02:47

It has long been an annnoyance to me, because I believe this kind of false reporting is no good for anyone.

When I was living in Indonesia I was aware that the Christians there lead a very low profile life and surrounded by a population that is about 95% Muslim, who could blame them. But periodically and for no reason other than the usual Muslim antipathy to other religions, churches would be torched and Christian businesses trashed(these were usually Chinese) Communities of Christans on some of the Islands would be brutally attacked with machetes etc.

Sometimes the Christans would stand their ground and try to defend themselves, but they NEVER attacked first. This was always written up as 'sectarian violence' so that no blame for this behaviour could be put upon the muslims. As the Indonesian Pancacilla decrees religious tolerance it should be regarded as a crime, but no, by saying it is sectarian violence, there is no need to seek out the culprits and punish tham - all are equally to blame!

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened for relevance, substance, and tone, and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome, but comments are rejected if scurrilous, off-topic, vulgar, ad hominem, or otherwise viewed as inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the Guidelines for Comments. For informational purposes, we identify countries from which comments are sent.