INDONESIA: Muslims Oppose Christian Worship Service

Christians in Indonesia face opposition and blockades by Muslim groups.

In West Java, Indonesia, Muslim protesters demonstrated against a Christian worship service on 6 January 2026. The group, Ahlus Sunnah Defenders, carried banners, shouted slogans and blasted loudspeakers outside the venue, calling the worship service an effort to convert Muslims and spread “religious activities which deviate from the principal teachings of Islam.” With police protection, the church was allowed to continue its worship service. A representative of the national Ministry of Religious Affairs attended the meeting and expressed support for the right of all people to worship. Though the government has taken steps to protect minority religious groups, Front-Line Workers report that Indonesian society has become more conservatively Islamic in recent years with Islamic extremist groups targeting churches for demonstrations, legal complaints and violence.