07/05/2024 Indonesia (International Christian Concern) — An Islamic social media campaign known as #SaveMaryam is raising awareness about the spread of Christianity across Indonesia – and it’s using controversial statistics and claims to do so.
The campaign director said 2 million Muslims convert to Christianity each year in the country. He added that Indonesia would cease to be a majority Muslim nation by 2035.
Critics and commentators have accused the campaign team of fearmongering, creating unnecessary religious tensions and providing inaccurate information to raise more funds for their activities.
Indonesia has the largest Muslim population in the world, with over 212 million Muslims. Official figures estimate that about 11% of the population is Christian. However, several Indonesian religious leaders believe this is a huge underestimate, putting the actual number of Christians at between 20% and 30% of the population.
Whatever the exact figure, what is clear is the great difficulty faced by Indonesian Christians, especially those who convert from Islam to Christianity. Muslim families often disown their children who become Christians. It is even more difficult for a Muslim to convert to Christianity in Aceh province, which follows Islamic law.
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