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Fiji's four coups in the past two decades have had church involvement. At the center of each coup lies the tension between the ethnic Fijians and Indian Fijians. Religion plays a significant role, as the majority of ethnic Fijians belong to the Methodist church while the majority of Indian Fijians are Hindu. In each of the four coups, one of the sides seeks to establish reduced rights for the Indian Fijians, whereas the other side seeks to grant equality to the Indian Fijians. The coup by Colonel Sitiveni Rabuka in 1987 led to a constitution that ensured Indian Fijians could only have less than half of all seats in parliament and banned Indians from the post of prime minister. The coup of 2000, by George Speight, removed the elected Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudry, who is a Hindu of Indian origin. ==The Methodist Church== The powerful Methodist Church backed the past three coups, but has opposed the 2006 coup. The Church plays a major role in Fiji politics.〔(Let us pray, churches say ), Fiji Times Online, November 29, 2006〕 Oftentimes, some politicians appeal to Fijians addressing them as "Christians", even though Hindus are 38% of the population in Fiji, compared with 52% Christians.〔(Fiji (10/07) )〕 It was alleged by Commodore Frank Bainimarama that the 2000 Fijian coup d'état that removed the elected PM Mahendra Chaudhry, was supported by many people within Methodist church. The Methodist church leaders supported a subsequent proposal to pardon those involved. There are some people within the Methodist church that have raised the possibility of declaring Fiji a theocratic Christian state.〔(Roots of Land and Church: the Christian State Debate in Fiji - International journal for the Study of the Christian Church )〕 This has brought Josaia Voreqe "Frank" Bainimarama, leader of the December 2006 coup, in conflict with the Methodist church in the past. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Church involvement in Fiji coups」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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