Former Indonesian VP Called Out for False Statment on Christianity

The Central Executive Board of the Indonesian Christian Youth Movement (DPP GAMKI) and several other organizations reported former Indonesian Vice President Muhammad Jusuf Kalla to the Jakarta Metropolitan Police on April 12.

The controversy began with the circulation of a video clip of Jusuf Kalla’s lecture at the Gadjah Mada University Mosque on March 5. The video went viral and was widely shared on social media platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube.

Reporters highlighted Jusuf Kalla’s narrative regarding the religious conflicts in Poso and Ambon. Both bloody conflicts occurred between 1998 and 2002 and involved religious and ethnic tensions.

“Why is religion so easily used as a reason for conflict, like in Poso and Ambon? Both Muslims and Christians believe in death, killing people, or being martyred,” Jusuf Kalla reportedly said. “All Christians also think the same way: if I kill a Muslim, I’m a martyr; if I die, I’m a martyr. Ultimately, the conflict is difficult to end.”

GAMKI Chairman Sahat Martin Philip Sinurat stated that Jusuf Kalla’s statement had caused public unrest and was inconsistent with the Christian teaching of love. Sahat emphasized that Christianity does not teach killing people of different religions.

“In fact, Christianity doesn’t teach that; in fact, we are taught to love our fellow human beings, even our enemies,” he added.

According to Sahat, Jusuf Kalla’s statement on social media channels has caused unrest and hostility.

“The comments on social media have been insulting, insulting, and related to ethnicity, religion, race, and intergroup relations,” he said. “We are reporting so law enforcement can control the situation. We hope that, as a national figure, Jusuf Kalla will immediately respond to this well, at least by issuing an open statement, apologizing, and then clarifying everything.”

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