Explosion Of Makassar Cathedral Church, Minister Of Religion Asks The Security Of Places Of Worship To Be Tightened

Minister of Religion Yaqut Cholil Qoumas (doc. Public Relations Ministry of Religion)

JAKARTA - The Minister of Religion (Menag) Yaqut Cholil Qoumas strongly condemns the suicide bombing that occurred at the Makassar Cathedral Church. The Minister of Religion assessed that this action was a heinous act that tarnished the tranquility of social life and was far from religious teachings.

"Whatever the motive, this action is not justified by religion because the impact is not only on oneself but also very detrimental to others," said the Minister of Religion in a written statement, Sunday, March 28.

As a result of the explosion in front of the Cathedral Church, a number of people were reported injured. At the time of the incident, some of the congregation were worshiping in the Cathedral Church. The number and identity of victims or perpetrators are still in the police census.

Yaqut hopes that the police and authorities can reveal the background to the violence that was carried out in places of worship. As well as thoroughly examining the actors involved in this heinous act.

"The police also need to increase security in places of worship so that people can be more calm and solemn in worship," he added.

Due to this incident, the Minister of Religion also appealed to religious leaders to continue to improve the pattern of good religious teaching and emphasize the importance of being religious in moderation. According to him, any religion teaches its people to avoid acts of violence.

This includes inviting all parties to prioritize peaceful ways in dealing with problems such as through dialogue, discussion, friendship, and so on. If that method is taken, it is believed that it will be able to solve the problems at hand.

It is known that the explosion occurred at around 10:28 a.m. local time. The National Police deployed Densus 88 Anti-terror and other units to handle the incident of the alleged suicide bombing at the Cathedral Church in Makassar.