Tolikara Accident Religious Violence

Violence in itself is a complex phenomenon erupting not from a specific issues but interactions of numerous factors including political, cultural, social, biological and economic events. No political movement or religious group can claim to exclusively own a violence (Haleem 20). This paper will look into the Tolikara chaos between the Islam and Christians living in Papua Indonesia and concludes by saying that Tolikara, Papua accident was not purely caused by religion but by interaction of many different factors. Tolikara Accident 15th July 2015, the youths from the Evangelical Church in Indonesia (GIDI church) gathered in the church complex. The gathering was on its third day of the outdoor worship and was happening at end of Kabaruga airfield. Although the Tolikara case happened in the remote areas of Papuan, it attracted the reactions and attentions of many bodies with inclusion of religious bodies.

Papuans acknowledges the happenings of violent happenings in their history (Tebay). This therefore makes us theorize that the Tolikara accident was not a happening of religious disagreement that occurred between Christians and Muslims of Tolikara. The Incident as a Social Movement The accident at Tolikara, Papua can be said to be as a result of social movement. Social movement is an informal organization or individual groupings that focus their fight on some specific social or political issues. On December 2014 for example, four people were killed and numerous other number of people were injured by the police gunshots. The case and death claims that occurred still remains unresolved (Tebay). Police brutality has been an underlying issue and when officers shot at the faithful on 2015, it led to forceful revisit of the police brutality by the people of Papua in Indonesia.

This idea is propagated by the theory of emergency doctrine: an oppressed defendant needs an immediate response when faced with sudden and unexpected situation (Lawrence and Karim). The acts of the Papuan people can be ethically protected by the peace ideal in Judaism which justifies violence for justice: when genuine attempts to make peace have failed, then killing people – acts of violence – is morally acceptable as a way to promote justice and peace (Juergensmeyer and Kitts 24). One of the deadliest war caused by religion is probably the Thirty Years War. This war occurred in the period between 1618- 1648 and happened in almost the entire Germany. Emperor Ferdinand II of the Roman Empire wanted the entire region he controlled to be Catholics.

Protestants revolted this idea and armed themselves against the dominance Roman Empire. Countries like France, Spain and Sweden joined the war by supporting the sides that benefited them politically. Political and philosophical perspective The policy dictators controls and governs war. It is a tool used by policy to achieve its underlined set objectives. Policy control can be manifested by setting limits for geographical army or officers movements or taking of an advantage of an opportune time of seeking a negotiated settlement (Waldman 7). War and violence is a political bargaining tool. Politicians create violence and war to demand for equal playground and as a means of commitment to discussed settlement during the periods of war. Tebay on his article, the extra ordinary Tolikara case narrates the ignorance of the security officers and the government institutions when violence and the extra judicial killings by the officers happen.

He notes that the Papuan community respect sacred places like churches and mosques and not anytime would they set them on fire. According to Tebay, the religious groups has never been in any conflict and that the accident cause can only be directed to the negligence by the government on the Papuan population. In the article, we get to see the real problem faced by the Tolikara people: there is no any economic development, the government had ignored them fully (Tebay). They had complained of the use of the brutal force to no avail and so when they got chance to express themselves, when they ripe boil was burst and a chance rose for them to express their dissatisfaction against the government and its forces, they grabbed it and utilise it fully.

While some obey the laws and orders to create acrimony. An action described by Arendt as ‘banality of evil,’ doing an atrocious evil unknowingly. Violence is a complex phenomenon. There is no single factor that can be single handily be referred to us the cause of violence. It is caused by a family factors ranging from social injustices, political and economic activities. 13 April 2018. Haleem, Irm. The Essence of Islamist Extremism: Recognition through violence, freedom through death. London: Routledge, 2012. JPIC, GKI-TP. When Religion Becomes Evil. HarperSanFrancisco, 2002. Lawrence, Bruce and Aisha Karim. Adolf Hitler, "The Right of Emergency Defence (Mein Kampf)". Durham: Duke University Press, 2007. Rodgers, Lucy, et al. Syria: The story of the conflict. 11 March 2016. http://www. bbc. 13 April 2018. Waldman, Thomas. “Politics and War: Clausewitz’s Paradoxical Equation.