Christians in Indonesia flee their homes as attacks spread
Police reinforcements fail to curtail panic in Sulawesi
Compass (21.10.2003)/ HRWF Int. (22.10.2003) - Website: http://www.hrwf.net/ - Email: info@hrwf.net - Villagers in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, are once again fleeing for their lives. They are reacting to recent attacks on four villages in the Poso district by bands of masked raiders armed with automatic weapons. Even the deployment of extra armed forces to secure the area has had little effect upon the worried inhabitants.
"People are too scared to remain in their isolated villages," said Mona Saroinsong, coordinator of the Crisis Center of the Protestant Church in North Sulawesi. "They have been walking through the jungle to the coast or making for Tentena, the nearest Christian town. When I questioned them, they said they did not trust the authorities to protect them."
Following the October 11 attack on the village of Old Beteleme, (see Compass Direct news flash, October 14) a further assault was launched in the early hours of Sunday morning, October 12, on three villages closer to the town of Poso.
Saatu, Pantangolemba and Pinedapa all had large Christian populations. The attackers sought out the homes of known Christians and forced them into the street where they were shot. Police reported that nine people lost their lives and 11 more were hospitalized.
Investigating the attacks, police have discovered bullet casings and weaponry which match illegal arms confiscated in Poso town during the previous violence of 2000.
National police chief General Da'i Bachtiar was shocked by the attack on Old Beteleme and the other villages. In particular, Old Beteleme was considered to be in a relatively peaceful area that had avoided much of the violence.
In Koroworu, a village not far from Old Beteleme, the local police encountered a group of 20 armed intruders. Shots were exchanged and at least one man is believed to have been killed, but his body fell into the river and was not recovered.
Two additional companies of police have been moved into the Morowali and Poso districts, bringing the number of armed police in the area to more than 2,000.
Some Christian men have agreed to return to their villages, which are now under heavy police protection, but have left their women and children elsewhere, fearing new attacks. Especially vulnerable are villages such as Malewa and Galuga, where Christians have resettled.
In Lembomawo village near Poso, the police advised the Christians to evacuate their women and children after receiving several reports of strangers gathering behind the village.
In another troubling incident, a young Muslim fish-seller was found drowned in the Poso river, his body covered by a rice sack and weighed down with a stone. The authorities are saying he was killed near Pandiri, a majority Christian village, with the implication that Christians have begun to retaliate.
"This is very troubling for the Christian people who worry that isolated incidents like this will be blown out of all proportion, and that the violence will be blamed on them when they are the innocent victims," said Saroinsong.
"The chief of police added insult to injury when he attended this man's funeral but ignored the funerals of the 11 Christians in the villages," added Saroinsong.
"There is growing chaos and unabated fear spreading throughout the Christian community. Please continue to petition the Indonesian government to do something about the root cause of the violence -- rather than patch over the cracks -- and make both sides adhere to the Malino agreement. Please keep praying for us here."
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Shadows of Bali hang over Indonesia
Problems with Islamic extremists continue
Zenit.org (18.10.2003) C HRWF Int. (20.10.2003) C Website: http://www.hrwf.net/ - Email: info@hrwf.net - Oct. 12 marked the first anniversary of the bomb explosions that killed 202 people on the holiday resort island of Bali. The attack also had a drastic economic impact on the local economy, a just-released report shows.
The report was prepared by the U.N. Development Program, the U.S. Agency for International Development and the World Bank. It notes that average incomes on Bali plunged 43% by mid-2003, Reuters reported Oct. 13. During the first eight months of this year foreign arrivals in Bali were down 35.2% from the year-earlier period. Overall, Indonesia has forecast 4.5 million foreign tourist arrivals this year, down from 5 million last year.
Indonesian authorities have been hunting down the Islamic extremists behind the attacks. A number of those involved have already been tried and convicted. In addition, last month an Indonesian court found Abu Bakar Bashir guilty of planning to bring down the government, the Sydney Morning Herald reported Sept. 3.
But prosecutors failed in their attempt to convict him on charges of heading the terrorist organization Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), which was responsible for carrying out the Bali bombings. More than a dozen of the Bali bombers attended his Islamic school at Ngruki in central Java, and he knows many of those accused of carrying out terrorist acts for JI.
And just days ago Abdul Jabar was convicted by an Indonesian court of involvement in two church bombings on Christmas Eve 2000, the Associated Press reported Oct. 13. Officials have blamed the attacks on Jemaah Islamiyah.
Schools for terror
Fueling the growth of radicals in Indonesia is the spread of radical Islamic schools. The Wall Street Journal, in an in-depth study published Sept. 2, reported that in the wake of terror attacks and U.S. pressure, governments in Southeast Asia have started to close some of the radical schools. However, many, including al Mukmin, an Islamic boarding school on Indonesia's main island of Java, continue to operate. This school has produced almost all of Indonesia's top terrorist suspects.
Al Mukmin school officials say there are no ties between their enterprise and the alumni who have participated in dozens of terrorist attacks throughout Southeast Asia during the past few years. Nevertheless, the Wall Street Journal noted that pictures of automatic rifles and tanks adorn the walls of the school. A slogan above the door to the main classroom building reads, "Death in the way of Allah is our highest aspiration."
Teachers say they don't encourage students to attack Christians or people of other religions. "It's not hatred, but it's what God says," explained Widi bin Hasbi, a 27-year-old teacher. "The Koran says that we don't want Jews and Christians to live with Muslims."
Indonesia has some 12,000 Islamic boarding schools. According to the Journal, the vast majority preach a message of religious tolerance, mixed with secular education in sciences and other topics mandated by the government.
A factor favoring extremism in some schools is support for a stricter view of Islam from Saudi Arabia, the New York Times reported July 5. The Saudi influence is twofold: free tertiary studies in Saudi Arabia for selected graduates of Indonesian schools, and funding of the more radical schools in Indonesia itself.
In addition to the publicly distributed money for religious and educational purposes Saudi Arabia has also quietly disbursed funds for militant Islamic groups, the New York Times said. This money has allowed some extremists groups to keep going and motivated others to start recruiting.
The libraries of many Islamic schools are filled with books from Saudi Arabia; few of them hold any recent books by Western authors. The article reported that the Saudi religious affairs office in Jakarta churns out translations from Arabic to Indonesian -- for a total of about 1 million books a year.
Amien Rais, speaker of Indonesia's Parliament, admitted that his country needs to do more to curb the more extremist Islamic schools, Reuters reported Oct. 13. Rais is the former head of Indonesia's second-largest Islamic group, Muhammadiyah. "The government seems a bit hesitant to pinpoint schools as cells of spreading terrorism," he said. The Jakarta government fears that a crackdown would lead to a violent backlash, he speculated.
Interreligious tensions
In the last year there have been fewer episodes of violence between Christians and Muslims, but the problem has not gone away. A Sept. 25 press release from the U.S. group Christian Freedom International commented that Christians with professional credentials and advanced degrees are being denied employment and advancement in the job market.
Christian Freedom International president Jim Jacobson said that mob violence against Christians has also become a business tool. As well, there are unfair local regulations relating to the construction of Christian schools and churches. A pastor explained that the local government "will issue a permit for the construction of a church only if no one near the proposed site objects. If one person objects -- no church." Mosque construction faces no such requirements.
In the week before the anniversary of the Bali bombings, at least 10 Christians were killed in attacks in the Central Sulawesi province, Reuters reported Oct. 13. Also, a church was set on fire, along with dozens of houses. According to Reuters, Muslim-Christian violence in the region has caused about 2,000 deaths since 1999.
Dangers ahead
An Aug. 26 report on JI by the International Crisis Group found reasons to worry about Islamic radicals in Indonesia. According to the international research and advocacy organization, JI remains active and dangerous, despite the mid-August arrest of Hambali, one of its top operatives.
Even though more than 200 suspects linked to JI are now in custody in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines, the group is far from destroyed. Information emerging from the interrogation of JI suspects indicates that it is a bigger organization than previously thought, according to the International Crisis Group. JI has communication with and has received funding from al-Qaida, but it is independent and makes most, if not all, operational decisions locally.
The report observed that the JI network is held together not just by ideology and training but also by an intricate network of marriages that at times makes it seem like a giant extended family.
Still, there are few signs of a surge in the power of Islam in the political arena, an analysis published Oct. 14 by London's Financial Times observed. There is thus little risk that the world's fourth most populous country -- home to 200 million Muslims -- may suddenly become an Islamic state.
Indonesian Islam evolved into two moderate branches that dominate worship within the archipelago. Nahdlatul Ulama incorporated local traditions and as a result become an agglomeration of Javanese mysticism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Sufi philosophy. The Islamic strain of Muhammadiyah is more clearly Middle Eastern yet still largely moderate.
Together those two organizations count as many as 100 million members, the Financial Times said. Nevertheless, the article noted that while a moderate majority still dominates, there is a risk that growing numbers of Indonesians could be drawn to fundamentalism and perhaps even violence. A good reason to keep a close eye on how Indonesia deals with Islamic extremists in the months ahead.
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Christian village suffers midnight attack in Indonesia
Violence left two dead, six missing, and 38 houses destroyed
By Geoff Stamp
Compass (14.10.2003)/ HRWF Int. (15.10.2003) C Website: http://www.hrwf.net/ - Email: info@hrwf.net - Indonesian Christians who have lived in the village of Old Beteleme (Bethlehem), Central Sulawesi, since being displaced by a three-year wave of religious violence suffered a night-time attack Friday that left two people dead, six missing and 38 houses destroyed.
Shortly after midnight on October 11, villagers heard disturbing sounds in the street as the assailants in all-white attire cried, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar! as they attacked the quiet village.
One resident, Mrs. Wedlrina Mbae, a 55-year-old teacher, reportedly heard a knock at her door and went to see if anyone was in trouble. She was met with a hail of bullets and died within a few minutes.
Another Christian villager, Oster Tarioko, 40, died on the way to the hospital after suffering gunshot wounds. A third, Mr. Deki Lingkua, 20, is critically ill with stab wounds and several more are hospitalized. The right arm of Mr. L. Malo, 46, was reportedly shattered by gunshot.
Other villagers fled into the nearby jungle and watched helplessly as 38 of their houses were looted, set on fire and burned to the ground. Three cars, seven motorcycles and an Assembly of God church were also burned.
A group of volunteers who trekked to the village from Tentena are still searching the jungle for six missing people.
The attack resembled violence that Indonesian Christians suffered in Poso, the center of past troubles with Muslim extremists. Witnesses said the attack lasted precisely one hour, after which the assailants disappeared into the jungle.
Some villagers claimed that young people hardly older than children were among the attackers. Their role was to set the houses alight.
For its Christian residents, Old Beteleme offered an opportunity to start again after their crops, livestock and belongings were either stolen or destroyed in previous violence. Located far from Poso and nearer to the predominantly Christian town of Tentena, Old Beteleme seemed safe. Even the name (Bethlehem) was comforting.
However, since the signing of the Malino agreement between Christians and Muslims on December 21, 2001, Compass has learned that the Indonesian government has ignored many violations of the agreement. Almost all the religiously motivated aggression has been directed against Christians.
More than 99 percent of the victims of this senseless violence since the Malino agreement have been Christians, Mona Saroinsong, coordinator of the Protestant Church Crisis Center in Manado, North Sulawesi, wrote in an email report over the weekend. To date, none of the aggressors have been found or brought to trial. No one knows who they are or why they are doing it.
As special commemorative services were being held to remember those who died in the Bali nightclub bombing a year ago, Christians were again paying the price of living in a region dominated by Muslim officials unwilling to protect them. Many suspect these random attacks could be sanctioned by people in positions of authority.
As with previous attacks, there is a pattern, Saroinsong said. The attacks are always at night and are well organized. The attackers operate in several small groups each with a specific task and area to cover, and they wear black masks to avoid being identified.
They use automatic weapons that can only be legally held by the armed forces. They target a village far away from any source of help. Tentena (the nearest major city) is 88 miles from Old Beteleme. The roads are so bad it can take up to eight hours to reach Old Beteleme from the nearest town.
A further similarity with previous attacks is that the head of the police was occupied elsewhere, Saroinsong added.
She pointed out that help did not reach the villagers until 3 a.m. -- too late to save the burning houses and aggravating the condition of the wounded.
While the eyes of Western nations are turned toward Bali because foreign tourists died there in last years tragic bombing, Saroinsong asks Christians throughout the world to be aware that believers of Central Sulawesi are being killed, maimed and threatened because some people believe there is no place for them in a Muslim Indonesia.
We ask for your prayers and for renewed pressure from abroad on the Indonesian government to put an end to these violent attacks, Saroinsong said.
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Indonesian authorities illegally detain Christian leader
Damanik's appeal of a three-year prison sentence is pending before the Supreme Court
By Geoff Stamp
Compass (22.09.2003)/ HRWF Int. (24.09.2003) - Website http://www.hrwf.net - Email info@hrwf.net - Christians in Indonesia have issued an urgent call for prayer for the release of the Rev. Rinaldy Damanik, whose prison detention in Palu, Central Sulawesi, should have come to an end on September 15, according to Indonesian law.
Lawyers representing the Christian leader, who has earned an international reputation for aiding refugees from both sides of the Central Sulawesi conflict, went to Palu prison where Damanik is detained on the evening of September 15, the day Damaniks extended detention order expired. The lawyers asked for Damaniks immediate release, but the prison authorities refused the request without clearance from a higher authority.
Damaniks imprisonment is now illegal.
Damanik is appealing a three-year prison sentence for allegedly transporting illegal arms. Sources in Indonesia say his trial and imprisonment are part of the Indonesian governments attempt to blame the minority Christian community for the violence in Poso. Conflict between Muslims and Christians there has caused hundreds of deaths and injuries, and created tens of thousands of homeless people since December 1999.
The Supreme Court, where Daminiks appeal currently lies, must issue an extension order for his detention. Otherwise, under Indonesian law, prison authorities are forced to release him.
Damaniks imprisonment has already been extended five times by the High Court of Central Sulawesi. However, due to his pending appeal, the Central Sulawesi court is no longer entitled to extend his prison term. To date, the Supreme Court has issued no extension order of its own.
Jubilee Campaign, an international, non-government advocacy organization, believes the hesitancy to release Damanik is due to his criticism of the Indonesian government.
Damanik has been openly critical of the mismanagement and embezzlement of refugee funds and of the government and militarys apparent complicity in the conflict, said a recent statement by Jubilee Campaign.
From the start, Damaniks case has been rife with legal and procedural violations. Sentenced to three years on a dubious weapons charge, advocates have accused the local police and others of framing Damanik in an attempt to scapegoat him and the minority Christian community by imputation as the perpetrators of the violent religious conflict, the statement added.
Since September 15, Damaniks lawyers have visited the prison every day and have complied with every condition demanded by the prison authorities and the local ministry of justice. Mr. Gusman, the head of Central Sulawesis Justice Department, told Damaniks lawyers on September 17 that if they persisted in their demands on his behalf, they themselves could face arrest.
Unconfirmed rumors have circulated that the local Christian population was preparing to confront the police and authorities over Damaniks illegal detention.
Predictably, Rev. Damaniks reaction to the rumors has been conciliatory.
If my freedom means more violence, then I would rather remain in jail for the present time, Damanik said from prison. I only want to act within the law and avoid further conflict.
He has instructed his lawyers to continue his advocacy by peaceful means, presenting a letter every day to the prison authorities requesting his release.
Meanwhile, the violence in the Poso region has not ceased, despite recent claims to that effect from the Ministry of Social Welfare.
On September 12, a day marking Christian harvest celebrations, a bomb was detonated in Kasiguncu village. The explosion occurred at night in front of the village chiefs office and resulted in five people being hospitalized.
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Damanik receives three year sentence in Indonesia
Judges declare pastor Guilty, despite evidence of witness intimidation and legal abuse
by Sarah Page
Compass (16.06.2003)/ HRWF Int. (18.06.2003) - Website http://www.hrwf.net - Email info@hrwf.net -- Judges have handed down a three-year sentence to Rev. Rinaldy Damanik, an Indonesian pastor accused of illegal weapons possession. Damanik and his defense team now have a week to decide whether they will accept the sentence or appeal the judges decision.
Judges took account of the time Damanik had already spent in custody, reducing the overall jail sentence to two years and four months.
Damanik was found guilty despite clear evidence that witnesses for the prosecution were tortured and intimidated by the police in order to obtain their testimony.
A source who had spoken to Damanik requested prayer for the defendant and the defense team. The guilty verdict, announced in a trial marked by serious abuse of legal procedure, gives little hope for a successful appeal. Funds for a lengthy appeals process are also in short supply.
Damanik was a key member of the Central Sulawesi Christian Church (GKST) Crisis Center working to assist both Christian and Muslim refugees in the troubled Poso area. He also signed the controversial Malino Peace Accord in December 2001, earning the wrath of local officials. It was hoped the Accord would reduce tension between Christian and Muslim communities in Poso. However, the Accord has had limited success.
Damanik was traveling in a relief convoy on August 17, 2002, when police officers stopped him for questioning. The following day, local police announced they had found illegal weapons in the vehicle.
Professor J. E. Sahetapy, a legal expert and key witness for the defense, said police broke legal procedure by searching the vehicle without a warrant. Furthermore, they did not arrest Damanik after the alleged discovery of the weapons. Sahetapy maintained that even if weapons were found in Damaniks vehicle, the results of an illegal search must be disregarded by the court.
Mona Saroinsong, staff member of the GKST Crisis Center, said the citizens of Tentena had planned to hold a mass demonstration if Damanik was sentenced. However, Damanik is not in favor of these plans.
Damanik has clearly shown his heart for peace in the troubled region of Poso. On June 2, the Christian village of Kapompa was attacked. The attack left one man dead and another seriously injured. From his holding cell, Damanik made an appeal on a local radio station asking the people of Tentena not to retaliate against their Muslim neighbors.
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Indonesia passes controversial education bill
WEA (13.06.2003)/ HRWF Int. (17.06.2003) - Website http://www.hrwf.net - Email info@hrwf.net - On Wednesday evening, 11 June 2003, the Indonesian parliament passed the controversial National Education System Bill that will replace the 1989 Law on Education System. The bill has divided the nation, with many Muslims supporting the bill, while minority Christian groups and secular Muslim organizations (including Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the largest Muslim organization in Indonesia), oppose it. Vice President Hamzah Haz is a strong and public supporter of the bill, while former-president Abdurrahman Wahid, has spoken out strongly and publicly against it.
Article 13 (1) of the Education Bill will require schools with ten or more students of any particular faith, to employ religious education teachers of those faiths, so that students in all schools (state and private) may receive religious education in their own faith from a teacher of that faith. While Christians do not generally send their children to Islamic schools (hence Islamic schools are unlikely to be effected), many Muslims chose to send their children to Christian schools due to their superior educational standards. They chose do this in spite of the fact that Christian schools teach the Christian faith.
According to an article in the Straits Times, "Some Muslim politicians have been worried by the teaching of Christianity to Muslim students in Christian schools. They have found that many have converted to Christianity."
This concern seemed to resonate with thousands of Muslims campaigning for the bill outside Indonesia's parliament on Tuesday - one popular banner reading - "Save the religious community from apostasy." Another demonstrator voiced his opinion: "I think those who oppose the Bill are missionaries because many Muslims go to Christian schools and they want to teach Christianity to them."
After the bill pass passed on Wednesday evening, the Straits Times reported that, "education experts have expressed concerns that the Bill has been drafted with a strong political agenda," and quoted PDI-P secretary general Pramono Anung who said, "The issue is no longer about education, it is just politics."
This claim was confirmed by Golkar legislator Baharuddin Aritonang who admitted to the Jakarta Post (12 June) that the debate on the education bill could not be separated from the vested interests of the parties ahead of the 2004 elections. He said political parties, including Golkar, agreed to endorse or reject the bill to win the hearts of constituents or lure votes ahead of the 2004 elections.
How the bill passed
The Bill has been debated since October 2001. It was scheduled for a vote on 20 May 2003, but the vote was postponed due to the controversy and discontent it had aroused. The vote was re-scheduled for Tuesday 10 June.
On 10 June, while the parliament debated and lobbied, more than 10,000 Islamic activists protested outside urging legislators to pass the education bill. According to the Jakarta Post (11 June), "those against the bill, mostly Christian groups, refrained from staging a rival rally at the House, apparently to avoid a clash."
Inside the parliament the bill was so hotly debated and contested that the plenary meeting had to be adjourned at 10 p.m, until Wednesday at 7.30 p.m.
The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan, or PDI-P) and the Indonesian Nationhood (KKI) strongly opposed the bill. However, as they hold only 165 of the 500 seats, they were in the minority.
The PDI Perjuangan chairwoman, Megawati Soekarnoputri, demanded a delay in the bill's endorsement pending the further dissemination of information to the public, or the bill's revision should this prove necessary. MPs signed an agreement to delay the endorsement of the bill until 17 June.
The Jakarta Post (11 June) quoted PDI Perjuangan legislator Noviantika Nasution as saying on Tuesday, "The chairwoman wants the bill to be accepted by everybody based upon a consensus." The PDI Perjuangan deputy secretary Pramono Anung said the party viewed the bill as having the potential to spark unrest.
On Wednesday evening 11 June the controversial education bill was voted on and passed. The PDI-P boycotted the meeting.
What now?
The Straits Times reported on Thursday 12 June, that PDI Perjuangan said it would stick to the previous agreement signed by representatives of all factions to delay the endorsement until June 17 in order to give the House time to disseminate information on the bill to the public.
If the Bill takes effect, tens of thousands of Islamic religious teachers will have to be recruited for employment in private Christian schools across the country. Many Christian schools are saying they will ignore the bill.The Jakarta post reported back in March, that in order to come to a compromise, all the factions on the working committee and from the government agreed not to impose any legal punishment for schools that failed to comply with the article.
The working committee's chairman, Anwar Arifin, said on Sunday 30 March 2002, "We have received enormous pressure from two separate groups -- one demands the article be maintained with punishment for schools that violate it, while the other demands the article be dropped. All factions finally agreed to maintain the article, as it is in line with the amended 1945 Constitution, but we leave the monitoring of the article to the public as part of social control and punishment."
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Indonesian students show support for religion bill
Go Asia Pacific (10.06.2003)/ HRWF Int. (11.06.2003) - Website http://www.hrwf.net - Email info@hrwf.net - About 10,000 high school students have attended a rally outside the Indonesian parliament in the capital, Jakarta, urging legislators to pass a controversial bill that regulates religious teaching in private schools.
The crowd chanted Islamic religious songs and waved banners, some of which supported the Muslim-based Justice Party.
The bill stipulates that all students, even in religious-based private schools, have the right to receive instruction in their own faith.
Indonesia is the world's largest Muslim-populated nation with an estimated 90 per cent of the archipelago's 212 million people following Islam.
Objectors to the bill, including some Muslims, say the state should not get involved in religious matters in schools.
Supporters say the bill accommodates all religions, not just Islam.
Many more Muslim children study in Christian schools than vice versa.
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Indonesian teachers protest over religious education bill
Radio Australia News (18.03.2003)/ HRWF Int. (19.03.2003) - Website http://www.hrwf.net - Email info@hrwf.net - About 3,000 Indonesian teachers have flooded the grounds of parliament in protest against a bill on religious teaching in schools.
The teachers shouted and waved placards urging the government to scrap an article in a new bill, which stipulates all students, even in religion-based schools, have the right to receive instruction in their own religion.
An Education Ministry official said the bill, expected to be passed in May, would apply to all schools.
Religion-based schools which are open to children from other faiths will in future have to provide religious teachers for those faiths.
Schools based on religions such as Catholicism or Islam have expressed reservations, saying the move would obscure their original mission.
Indonesia is the world's largest Muslim-populated nation with some 90 per cent of its 212-million people following Islam.
But Islam is not the state religion and other faiths are respected.
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Indonesia's main Islamic groups campaign against Islamic law
AP (09.01.2003)/ HRWF Int. (13.01.2003) - Website http://www.hrwf.net - Email info@hrwf.net - Indonesia's two largest moderate Muslim organizations have called on radical groups to end a campaign for the imposition of Islamic law, or Shariah.
"There is no need to press ahead with the struggle for Shariah," said Ahmad Syafii Maarif, who heads the 25-million strong moderate Muhammadiyah organization, The Jakarta Post reported Dec. 31.
The county's other main religious organization, Nahdlatul Ulama, said that the calls for imposition of Shariah were unrealistic.
"What we need is to develop universal values for the people's prosperity," said Hasyim Muzadi, chairman of the group, which claims 40 million members.
Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim nation. However, most of its 190 million faithful do not follow hardline Islam.
Moreover, the secular constitution stipulates that the state, which has significant Christian, Hindu and Buddhist minorities, should be run on pluralistic lines.
Ex-dictator Suharto pushed hard to keep religion out of politics and repressed Islamic activists. Since his downfall in 1998, several small Islamic parties and militant groups have campaigned for the imposition of Islamic law, which they tout as a solution to Indonesia's many problems.
Jakarta has recently granted the restive province of Aceh, on the northern tip of Sumatra island, the right to impose Shariah as part of a package of peace measures to end a bloody separatist war.
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