Home invasions
Indonesia: The jailing of three Christian women has emboldened Muslim radicals and jeopardized house churches in West Java
Jamie Dean

For three Christian women jailed for including Muslim children in a church program in West Java, Indonesia, the prospects of winning an early release from prison grew dim late last month. Indonesia's Constitutional Court refused to consider a legal challenge filed on behalf of Rebekka Zakaria, Eti Pangesti, and Ratna Bangun, who are serving three-year sentences handed down by a West Javan court in September. The court convicted the Sunday school teachers under Indonesia's Child Protection Act, which prohibits influencing children to convert to a different religion ("Teaching a lesson," Sept. 24, 2005).

The women allowed their Muslim Sunday school students to participate in the church program only if they showed written permission from their parents. The church even snapped photographs of the children and their parents together. But a trial filled with violent threats by Muslim radicals sealed the women's convictions and signaled a fresh wave of persecution against Indonesia's Christian minority. The rest