MATARAM, Indonesia (CWNews.com) - Indonesian security forces evacuated nearly all tourists from the resort island of Lombok on Wednesday, as they entered a third day of riots and attacks on Christians.

    Many of the resorts and hotels on the island posted signs expressing support for Islam or declaring that they are Muslim-owned in an attempt to ward off attacks by extremist Muslims. No hotels have been directly attacked, but several bars and restaurants were burned in addition to dozens of churches and other buildings. The attacks began on Monday following a rally to protest Christian-Muslim violence in the eastern Maluku province that has left over 2,000 people dead in the past year.

    Hundreds of riot police and soldiers have been called into the region as nearly 3,000 Christians, most of them ethnic Chinese, sought refuge in police stations and military bases. Even so, crowds of men wearing white Muslim caps blocked access roads to Lombok's Lembar ferry terminal Wednesday. Some said they were checking cars for Christians.

    Interreligious violence began in the Malukus as the majority-Muslim country slid into its worst economic crisis in decades and political turmoil rose. Some extremist Muslim leaders have called for a holy war against Christians.