Hundreds of thousands call for end of war<\/p>\n
Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Jakarta's main thoroughfares turned into seas of humanity as
\nhundreds of thousands of people from various religions and ethnic
\ngroups took to the streets in the country's largest ever rally to
\nprotest the U.S.-led war in Iraq.<\/p>\n
Supporters of Muslim-based parties and organizations, Catholic
\npriests and nuns, students, noted intellectuals and labor union
\nactivists were among those who marched from the Hotel Indonesia
\ntraffic circle to the U.S. Embassy on Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan.
\nThe march, which took place under a sweltering sun, caused a
\nmassive traffic jam that lasted for hours.<\/p>\n
Marchers carried banners condemning the U.S and its allies,
\nwho went for war without the consent of the United Nations. Other
\nbanners criticized the world body for failing to prevent the war
\nand urged the world community to stop the aggression. Amid
\nhundreds of banners written in Arabic, one group of protesters
\ndisplayed a banner quoting antiwar remarks from Pope John Paul
\nII.<\/p>\n
Calling the U.S.-led war an attack on humanity, some
\ndemonstrators demanded an international human rights tribunal for
\nthe leaders of the countries involved in the attack.<\/p>\n
To mark the start of the protest, hundreds of doves were
\nreleased into the sky to symbolize peace and church bells were
\nrung.<\/p>\n
This may have been the first time members of the National
\nMandate Party (PAN), the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS),
\nMuhammadiyah, the country's second largest Muslim organization,
\nthe Muslim Propagation Council and the Indonesian Ulemas Council
\njoined hands with members of other religions for a common cause.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian government has strongly deplored the attack on
\nIraq and has attempted prod the UN to take action to stop the
\naggression.<\/p>\n
Police put the number of protesters at 250,000, while
\norganizers claimed over one million people took part in the
\nrally.<\/p>\n
Nearly 1,500 police officers were deployed to maintain order
\nduring the protest, with a special focus on guarding the U.S.
\nEmbassy. No violence was reported during the protest, which ended
\nat noon.<\/p>\n
Among the demonstrators were People's Consultative Assembly
\nSpeaker and PAN chairman Amien Rais, noted Muslim scholar
\nNurcholish Madjid, the former chairman of the Indonesian
\nCommittee for World Muslim Solidarity, Achmad Soemargono, and PKS
\nchairman Hidayat Nurwahid, who was also the rally coordinator.<\/p>\n
\"All of the people of Indonesia, without exception, want Bush
\nto withdraw his forces from Iraq,\" Amien shouted to the crowd as
\nthey passed in front of the UN building on Jl. Thamrin.<\/p>\n
Nurcholish said \"world peace is in danger and being destroyed
\nby a man called Bush\". Nurcholish was referring to U.S. President
\nGeorge W. Bush.<\/p>\n
Nurcholish was among the Indonesian interfaith leaders who met
\nwith the European Parliament in Brussels and the Pope in the
\nVatican prior to the war to convey the country's antiwar message.<\/p>\n
Protesters again called for a nationwide boycott of U.S.
\nproducts and a shift to European goods. The government, scholars
\nand religious leaders have warned that a boycott of U.S. products
\nwould only hurt Indonesia.<\/p>\n
In Surabaya, hundreds of civilian guards from the country's
\nlargest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), held a mass
\nprayer in front of the U.S. Consulate General on Jl. Dr. Soetomo
\nto protest the war. The protesters also questioned the relevance
\nof the UN given its reluctance to take action against the U.S.
\nand its allies.<\/p>\n
During the rally, an effigy of U.S. President George W. Bush
\nwas burned.<\/p>\n
On the resort island of Bali, Hindus sent a message of peace,
\ncalling for a cease-fire for the Hindu Day of Silence on
\nWednesday. The holiday marks the Hindu New Year.<\/p>\n
\"The Hindu Day of Silence is sacred and can provide the
\nmomentum to bring peace back to the world,\" Agus Indra Udayana,
\nchairman of the youth organization Aashram Gandhi Puri, told
\nAntara on Sunday.<\/p>\n
During the Day of Silence, Hindus avoid all activities and
\nlight to signify the effort to purify themselves.<\/p>\n
Indonesia has seen a wave of antiwar protests since the U.S.
\nand its allies attacked Iraq on March 20. One exception, however,
\nis the Central Sulawesi capital of Palu, which has remained
\nrally-free.<\/p>\n
Muhammad Lationo, secretary-general of the largest Muslim
\norganization in east Indonesia, Alkhairaat, said this did not
\nmean that the people of Palu supported the war in Iraq.<\/p>\n
\"Instead of staging a rally it would be more effective for
\nMuslims here to say a prayer to God or to provide humanitarian
\naid for the Iraqi people,\" he said as quoted by Antara.<\/p>",
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