Story number 1 for 30 Nov 2000

We begin today on Indonesia’s Moluccan islands where there’s not only continued religious cleansing, but also word that there’ve been several attempts to force Christians to convert to Islam. The Southern Baptist International Mission Board’s Charles Cole confirms that report. “In the Moluccas, there are two locations that’ve been reported to me in the last week, where there’s been a deadline given by the end of November to convert. So, there’ve been requests to me, for funds, to help evacuate thousands of people. We’re still trying to figure out where to move them to because it’s so unsafe in the entire area.” Cole believes the situation is worsening, in part, because the international community has turned a blind eye. “We do have an effort, asking for international observers to go in, feeling that if we had international certified observers, that this would help bring about worldwide awareness of the needs in Molucca Islands.” Please pray for the Christians in Indonesia as they face the hardships of persecution.