Christian church trashed in Sulawesi estate

A mob has destroyed a Christian Pentecostal church built in a residential complex in the predominantly Muslim city of Makassar in Indonesia's South Sulawesi.

The Jakarta Post Daily says the church was built in the Panakukang residential estate without the necessary permits, and that the church had been warned to vacate.

There were no reports of casualties.

South Sulawesi police chief Firman Gani cautioned the community against taking the law into its own hands.

The building of churches requires a permit from city authorities who consult the local population.

Christian churches cannot be built in predominantly Muslim areas.

Indonesia is the world's largest Muslim-populated nation, with over 80 per cent of its 214 million people following the faith.