A Sufi Muslim religious school in southern Aceh is now facing discrimination along with the rest of the religious minorities in Indonesia. Sufism is an expression of Islam focused on more mystical practices. On July 5, a dorm was burned down due to arson. Less than a month later, on August 1, the wall around the school was destroyed. School authorities believe it was an act of vandalism, but police state the wall collapsed because of faulty construction. In February, a government entity that advises on Islamic affairs, demanded for the school to be closed because it was “strange.” On March 4, the South Aceh regency government demanded that all students had to leave the facility, and a mob of local villagers surrounded the school and destroyed the front gate while police stood by and did nothing.
Pray for the government to give the religious freedom Sufi Muslims are guaranteed in the Indonesian constitution. Ask that Christians will know how to reach out to Sufis in the midst of this conflict.
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