Authorities of Aceh province in Indonesia have started tearing down several churches on Monday in response to the demands of Muslim hardliners in the midst of rising religious tensions and violence.
Violence broke out in Aceh last week when several hundred Islamic hardliners burned down three Christian churches, resulting in one death and provoking thousands of Christians to leave the area.
As a result, local political and religious leaders held a meeting on Sunday and agreed to close illegal church buildings that do not have appropriate building permits. Muslims demanded that ten churches be closed down.
"On a day-to-day basis, the communities live in peace with each other and there is no pressure to close down these churches. But what we are told is that it is a matter of permits, so we have to abide by the rules," Genti Brutu, the chief of a village where three churches have been torn down, told the Christian Post.
Over 200 police officers protected government workers as church buildings were torn down by sledgehammers and axes, according to BBC.
Indonesia has the world's largest Muslim-majority population. Aceh is the only province to enforce Islamic Sharia law, which can be used to torture and kill both Muslims and non-Muslims who disobey Islamic law. Since its passing, thousands of Christians and other ethnic and religious minorities have fled from the province.
