BEKASI City Mayor Rahmat Effendi has become a paradox on the issue of religion. At a time when hardline religious groups are becoming more vocal, he is defending and guaranteeing the construction of Santa Clara Church in the subdistrict of North Bekasi.

This Catholic church recently became a hot point in Bekasi, a city of 2.3 million people, of whom more than 86 percent are Muslims. Protests against the church have become more frequent. Two we