Sulawesi religion · Religion in Sulawesi
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Religion in Sulawesi
Religion in Sulawesi
Sulawesi's tough terrain, massive size (174,600 km²) and great marine tradtions, have combined to cause a wildly divergent set of peoples and cultures, speaking eight major languages and professing Muslim, Christian, Hindu and animist beliefs (not to mention various mixes thereof).
Islam is the majority religion in Sulawesi. The conversion of the lowlands of the south western peninsula in South Sulawesi to Islam occurred in the early 17th century. Most Sulawesi Muslims are Sunnis.
Christians form a substantial minority of about 19% on the island. Christians are concentrated on the tip of the northern peninsula around the city of Manado and around Poso in Central Sulawesi. The famous Toraja people of Tana Toraja in Central Sulawesi have largely converted to Christianity since Indonesia's independence.
Though most people identify themselves as Muslims or Christians, they often subscribe to local beliefs and deities as well. It is not uncommon for Christians to make offerings to local gods, goddesses, and spirits.
Sulawesi has been plagued by Muslim-Christian violence in recent years. The most serious violence occurred between 1999 and 2001 on the once peaceful island, with heavy involvement of Islamist militias such as Laskar Jihad. Over 1,000 people were killed in violence, riots, and ethnic cleansing that ripped through Central Sulawesi. In 2003, 13 Christian villagers were killed in the Poso District by unknown masked gunmen. And in 2005 three Christian schoolgirls were beheaded in Poso by Islamic militants. Riots erupted again in September 2006 in Christian dominated areas of Central Sulawesi.
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Sulawesi Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.