An evangelical Christian has been named the head of national police in Indonesia.
General Listyo Sigit Prabowoto has vowed to use the position to support minorities in the country and fight extremism.
“The current president of Indonesia, Joko Widodo, has been a consistent advocate for minorities and especially minority religious groups, even though he himself is a committed Muslim,” says Vincent Michael of Forgotten Missionaries International.
“He has been a real friend of Christians. So this appointment of Listyo Sigit Prabowo is not surprising considering Joko Widodo’s track record.”
The decision to appoint Prabowoto to the position was made with approval from most, Mission Network News reports. Some Muslim groups did reportedly obect to the placement, but most supported the choice.
“Most Muslims in Indonesia are supportive of tolerance, supportive of the religious minorities,” Michael explains.
However, Michael says there is an increasing vocal minority of Muslims in the country that hold much more fundamental and intolerant of having Christians in any positions of power.
Indonesia is ranked 47 on the Open Doors World Watch List for religious persecution. Very high levels of Islamic oppression are reported in the country.
“This is an encouraging development for the Christians in Indonesia because Prabowo has a track record of cracking down on corruption, and especially on discrimination against religious minorities,” Michael says.
Prabowo is the second believer to be appointed to the position of Commissioner General of the Indonesia Police. From 1974 to 1978, General Widodo Budidarmo was the first Christian to receive the prominent appointment.
