(Image source: Al Arabiya)

BY STEVEN SPARKMAN

A Christian church in Indonesia was attacked Sunday during their services. CNN has the details.

“A suicide bomber today targeted a church in central Java, detonating himself in the church’s entryway as worshippers were filing out. About 20 people were wounded, but police say only the bomber was killed.”

Religious hostilities in Indonesia run high -- especially between hardline Muslims and evangelical Christians. A writer for the Christian Post says the hostilities are never far below the surface.

“Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim country, allows for religious freedom with its constitution. However, religious tensions occasionally flare in the Asian country, with Christians being targeted.”

Officials have worked to break up the most violent groups in the country, and Indonesia’s president condemned the church bombing as “extraordinary evil.” But the Wall Street Journal reports -- critics say the government is still not doing enough to contain the violence.

“Authorities have successfully cracked down on hard-line Islamic groups linked to bombings on Western hotels and tourist spots -- such as the attacks on Bali nightclubs in 2002 that killed 202 people, many of them foreign visitors. But officials have struggled to contain other attacks, especially ones apparently aimed at intimidating religious minorities...”

Authorities believe this attack is tied to a violent outbreak on September 11 that left at least seven people dead. The Jakarta Globe reports, that clash apparently began with a motorcycle driving accident, and was fueled by hateful rumors.

“The driver died from his injuries on his way to the hospital, but a viral SMS fueled false reports that the driver had been tortured and killed by Christians. That prompted a violent clash between two groups … A provocative text message also began circulating in East Java urging Muslims to go to Ambon to wage jihad.”

The BBC reports 5000 people died in Indonesia during religious clashes between 1999 and 2002.

Transcript by Newsy.