There is tension in Sampang. The government's lack of resolve in protecting a minority group has inflamed the situation on the island of Madura, East Java during the past year. The state has yet to discharge its constitutional mandate to guarantee the security and freedom of people in matters of religion and faith.

Last year, on August 26, a group of Shia Muslims in Sampang came under the attack of local Sunnis. One person died and hundreds of Shia