It is fashionable these days for Western leaders to praise Indonesia as a model Muslim democracy. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton has declared, \u201cIf you want to know whether Islam, democracy, modernity and women\u2019s rights can coexist, go to Indonesia.\u201d\u009d And last month Britain\u2019s prime minister, David Cameron, lauded Indonesia for showing that \u201creligion and democracy need not be in conflict.\u201d\u009d<\/p>\n
Tell that to Asia Lumbantoruan, a Christian elder whose congregation outside Jakarta has recently had two of its partially built churches burned down by Islamist militants. He was stabbed by these extremists while defending a third site from attack in September 2010.<\/p>\n
This week in Geneva, the United Nations is reviewing Indonesia\u2019s human rights record. It should call on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to crack down on extremists and protect minorities. While Indonesia has made great strides in consolidating a stable, democratic government after five decades of authoritarian rule, the country is by no means a bastion of tolerance.<\/p>\n