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RI Muslim leaders call for calm over Koran tearing
Indonesian leaders called on Muslims on Sunday to not be provoked by the action of a few conservative Christian Americans who tore pages from a Koran in a protest outside the White House in Washington
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ndonesian leaders called on Muslims on Sunday to not be provoked by the action of a few conservative Christian Americans who tore pages from a Koran in a protest outside the White House in Washington.
The incident occurred when six people, including a leading anti-abortion campaigner and the leader of a right-wing conservative party from Indiana, held the protest on the ninth anniversary of 9/11 to denounce what they called the “charade of Islam”.
Malik Madani, the secretary-general of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the country’s largest Muslim organization, told The Jakarta Post that NU condemned the provocative stunt, describing it as a “despicable act”.
“I think such an action is ignoble in the eyes of not only NU members and Muslims in general, but also in those of any civilized human beings,” Malik said.
“It has hurt the heart of Muslims,” he added.
He said Muslims should nevertheless not be provoked because the irresponsible action was done by a small group in the US.
“The incident may incite anger and trigger an uncontrolled reaction from Islamic communities here.
Therefore, I encourage Muslims to keep a cool head when addressing the matter,” Malik said.
He suggested that if Muslims planned to stage a protest against the incident, they should engage in measured, peaceful responses, and avoid violence.
As home to the world’s largest Muslim population, Indonesia has been particularly nervous amid developments relating to the commemoration of the 9/11 attacks in the US. Christian and Muslim religious leaders have been active in their bid to avoid repercussions from affecting Indonesia.
Local radical groups such as the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) vowed to retaliate if US preacher Terry Jones went ahead with his Koran burning plan But the tearing of the holy book on Saturday was purely incidental.
Chairman of the Indonesian Ulemas Council, Amidhan, took the same line as Malik in response to the incident, saying that the protesters in front of the White House on Saturday did not represent a country or a certain religious affiliation.
Amidhan also lamented the fact that a number of Americans seemed to have equated Islam with terrorism, saying that it was mistaken, as the Council had declared terrorism forbidden, or haram, in Islam.
“[Please] separate Islam from terrorism,” Amidhan said, as quoted by detik.com, adding that not all Muslims were radicals.
“We need to show them that Islam is a peaceful religion,” Amidhan said.
Meanwhile, former NU chairman Hasyim Muzadi also voiced his concern over the desecration of
the Koran and called for US authorities to take action against the perpetrators.
President Barack Obama had to take stern action against the protesters because he had previously stated that he disagreed with provocative actions that would stir up interreligious tension, Hasyim said.
In the lead-up to the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, the US saw a torrent of escalating anti-Islamic sentiment, ranging from the plan of a Florida conservative Christian group to burn Korans on Sept. 11, which was inexplicably cancelled, to a series of ongoing protests against the construction of an Islamic center near Ground Zero in New York.
Obama, in his speech at the 9/11 ceremony at the Pentagon Memorial in Virginia, said Americans
“were not, and never would be, at war with Islam.” The president also emphasized that the US was not
attacked by Islam on Sept.
11 nine years ago.
“Through previous speeches, we can see how Obama distinguishes between acts of terrorism and religious teachings. In the context of our country, as religious people, we need to be cohesive in terms of nationality,” Hasyim, said.
Former vice president Jusuf Kalla on Sunday also denounced the protest outside the White House, saying that the instigators who tore pages from the holy book should apologize.
He said the action could threaten religious tolerance on a global scale, adding that Muslims in Indonesia should not overreact to the incident.
“We shouldn’t respond to it in exaggeration because that would create further problems,” Kalla said.
Commenting on Terry Jones’ cancelled plan to burn Korans in commemoration of 9/11, Kalla said: “The threat was a bluff from those looking for instant fame.”
“That was the cheapest and easiest plan that Jones could do to gain global fame,” he said, adding that Indonesian Muslims should be patient in responding to the issue. (tsy)
