- Title: Statue of Chinese god stokes tension in Muslim-majority Indonesia
- Date: 12th August 2017
- Summary: TUBAN, EAST JAVA PROVINCE, INDONESIA (AUGUST 11, 2017) (REUTERS) FIELD OVERLOOKING STATUE OF GUAN-YU VARIOUS OF STATUE COVERED IN WHITE SHEET VARIOUS OF STATUE INSIDE KWAN SING BIO TEMPLE COMPLEX SWORD ON STATUE PARTIALLY COVERED BY WHITE SHEET WHITE SHEET OVER STATUE HEAD VARIOUS OF STATUE DETAIL TUBAN RESIDENT AHMAD ATIP SPEAKING TO JOURNALIST (SOUNDBITE) (Bahasa Indonesia) TUBAN RESIDENT AHMAD ATIB SAYING "Residents previously didn't have any problems with it. They're fine, they didn't make the statue into an issue. We don't know why others make such a big deal out of it." TUBAN REGENT OFFICE (SOUNDBITE) (Bahasa Indonesia) TUBAN REGIONAL SECRETARY, BUDI WIYANA, SAYING: "The coordinator of the Ministry of Law and Security has been visiting Tuban these past three days to investigate the issues within the temple." TUBAN DISTRICT SECRETARY BUDI WIYANA SITTING (SOUNDBITE) (Bahasa Indonesia) TUBAN REGIONAL SECRETARY, BUDI WIYANA, SAYING: "The point is everyone is hoping for a conducive state in Tuban without any problems, and that the truth is the only issue revolves around the permit for the statue. We're aiming to follow this up with the temple as soon as possible." EXTERIOR OF REGENCY OFFICE
- Embargoed: 26th August 2017 04:31
- Keywords: Indonesia statue Chinese god temple Muslims
- Location: TUBAN, EAST JAVA PROVINCE, INDONESIA
- City: TUBAN, EAST JAVA PROVINCE, INDONESIA
- Country: Indonesia
- Topics: Religion/Belief,Society/Social Issues
- Reuters ID: LVA0016TUOYTH
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Indonesia has urged officials to stand up to mob pressure after Muslim and nationalist protesters called for a 30-meter-tall (100-ft.) statue of a Chinese deity erected in a temple complex in an East Java town to be torn down.
The brightly-painted statue of Guan Yu, a former general who is worshipped by some Chinese, was inaugurated in July in a temple complex in the fishing town of Tuban and is claimed to be Southeast Asia's tallest such representation of the deity.
The statue in Tuban, about 100 km. (60 miles) west of the city of Surabaya, has been partially covered up after the protests, provoking both praise and ridicule on social media in the world's most populous Muslim-majority country.
Officials of the Kwan Sing Bio Temple in Tuban declined to comment, but media have quoted residents as saying the statue was good for tourism. Some locals said the statue was never a problem for them.
Indonesia is a secular state whose constitution enshrines religious freedom and diversity, but there are concerns that rising intolerance threatens its reputation for moderate Islam. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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