Muslims throughout Indonesia are furious over the swearing in of Jakarta’s first Christian governor in nearly 50 years.
Basuki Tjahaja Purnama had been acting governor since Joko Widodo stepped aside to become the country’s President.
Indonesia has the world’s largest Muslim population and has been experiencing a wave of religious intolerance from Muslim hard liners angered that other religions have been given freedom to worship. The new president has vowed to protect religious minorities.
“I don’t need to be approved by everyone,” Purnama told reporters. “The ones that deny me aren’t Jakartans. They come from Bekasi, Depok, Bogor, which are not in my territory.”
Purnama is also the first ethnic Chinese governor of Jakarta. He is known as a transparent, no-nonsense leader who focuses on elimination of corruption in government.
Every day for eight years, the President of the United States spent time reading, studying and meditating on the Word of God.
That’s the message that President George W. Bush told a group of 200 civic and business leaders in Dallas on Sunday.
“I read the Bible every day during my presidency,” said Bush. “The easiest time to be faithful is during a time of crisis. The hardest time for faith is when all is well. Faith informed my principles and decisions, but not my tactics. It would give me strength, but I didn’t use my faith to make decisions. Freedom is a faith informed principle.”
The President spoke with Hobby Lobby president Steve Green at an event to raise funds for the Museum of the Bible that is scheduled to open in Washington, D.C. in 2017.
President Bush praised the museum.
“The museum is a great idea. It’s very important that the Museum of the Bible invites and makes people of all faiths feel comfortable. It will be an important part of our capital,” he said.
