Multiple Faiths in Papua

The most eastern region in Indonesia, Papua, has had its share of tribal problems. But the village of Wamena is making strides to build harmony between the Muslims and the Christians who live there, along with the smaller number of Hindus and Buddhists. They have started doing special feasts known as Bakar Batu, when meat and vegetables over hot stones. Normally at a meal like this, the Christian Papuans would cook pork, but out of respect for the Muslim community, they instead cook chicken, beef, and goat. Hadiman, a Wamena Muslim leader who now lives in Jayapura, believes that this inter-communal harmony is not isolated to Wamena, but can be found throughout Papua. He states that the Muslim and non-Muslim communities help each other build mosques and churches.

Pray that as these communities interact, Christians will have opportunities to tell their Muslim neighbors about the love of Christ.

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