The militant Indonesian Muslim group, Laskar Jihad, responsible for large scale killings in parts of Indonesia, like the Moluccas, has entered into the predominantly Christian province of Papua.

The presence of Laskar Jihad has raised fears among Papuans that the extremist Muslim group may try to incite religious conflict in a province that has no history of religious intolerance.
The Laskar Jihad plays a major role in the Muslim-Christian fighting in the eastern islands of Maluku, which human rights groups say killed more than 10,000 people. They are also behind the recent escalation of violence in Central Sulawesi.
Now it seems they have set their minds on war in Papua.
The presence of the Laskar Jihad forces in Papua may cause conflict, be it religious, ethnic or political, among the Papuan people. And this adds to the already tense situation that exists between the Papua people and the Indonesian rulers.

Laskar Jihad's presence has been rejected by Muslim leaders in Papua as well as other religious leaders. A spokesperson of the Papua Presidium said: "We may be fighting for independence from an unjust government but we never once had any conflict amongst the people. In Papua, not one mosque has ever been burnt, not one grass has ever been pulled from the front of a mosque.”

The Papua Presidium is the leading pro-independence movement in Papua fighting for independence from Indonesian rule through dialogue. Last year the resource-rich province was given special autonomy with greater wealth sharing in an effort to calm the Papuan people and ease separatist tensions. On November 11th when Theys Eluay, the leader of the Papua presidium, was murdered, tensions reached boiling point. The influx of outside forces will aggravate the situation even further.

Jakarta's game

Laskar Jihad has been distributing pamphlets and videos depicting sectarian fighting in Maluku. The group has also been seen training people on acquiring combat skills in the villages. They are also known to possess a large number of home-made weapons.

According to the Papua Presidium the Indonesian government and military are behind Laskar Jihad's presence in Papua: ”They are set up as militias to fight the independence movement.”

"This is a game from Jakarta. Laskar Jihad is training people in the villages to fight pro-independence Papuans, regardless of whether they are Christians or Muslims. They are militias dressed in religious robes,"

A spokesperson of the Laskar Jihad denied all the charges, saying they were involved purely in social and educational work.