Islam's leaders condemns Bali blasts<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Stringent condemnations poured in on Sunday over the latest
\nblasts that killed at least 26 people on the resort island of
\nBali, with Muslim leaders appealing to authorities to avoid
\nhastily linking the attacks with Islam.<\/p>\n
Nahdlatul Ulama (NO) and Muhammadiyah, the nation's two
\nbiggest Muslim organization, said Saturday's powerful bombs were
\nsavage, uncivilized and inhuman.<\/p>\n
\"In fact, the explosions hurt people having no relation with
\nthe interests or targets of terrorists,\" NU leader Hasyim Muzadi
\nsaid. The victims of the blasts were mostly Indonesians.<\/p>\n
NU deputy leader Masdar Farid Mas'udi expressed the NU's
\ndeepest condolences to families and relatives of the victims and
\nprayed that they exercised \"restraint\" in facing the tragedy.<\/p>\n
\"The attack was a vicious, inhuman and cowardly act,\" he said,
\nurging law enforcers not to hesitate in punishing the bombers
\nseverely.<\/p>\n
\"If the perpetrators are Muslims, their sentences must be
\nmultiplied because they have tarnished the sacredness of their
\nreligion and cornered its followers worldwide,\" Masdar said.<\/p>\n
Muhammadiyah leader Din Syamsuddin said the blasts, which
\nripped apart three restaurants packed with Saturday night diners,
\nhad nothing to do with religion.<\/p>\n
\"The attacks were carried out by irreverent and inhuman
\npeople. I believe it was an attempt to discredit the government
\nand create instability,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Din, who is also the Indonesian Ulema Council's (MUI) deputy
\nchairman, called on the public to avoid being \"provoked or
\ntrapped into confrontation\".<\/p>\n
Former Muhammadiyah leader Ahmad Syafii Maarif said that if
\nthe bombers were Muslims, they should stop claiming to be Muslims
\nbecause they had damaged the image of the religion.<\/p>\n
\"That was not an act of religious people because any religion
\nprohibits such a savage act,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Syafii expressed regret that the alleged masterminds of
\nprevious terrorist attacks in the country and key leaders of
\nJamaah Islamiyah (JI), fugitive Malaysians Azahari bin Husin and
\nNoordin M. Top, had not been caught.<\/p>\n
\"If the ones responsible for these attacks are Dr Azahari and
\nNoordin, why do they remain at large?\" he asked.<\/p>\n
Antiterror authorities said on Sunday that the fresh attacks
\non Bali were carried out by suicide bombers, citing similarities
\nwith the previous bombings on the paradise island three years
\nago.<\/p>\n
However, Hasyim Muzadi said the latest attacks apparently
\ndiffered from the 2002 explosions, in which 202 people were
\nkilled.<\/p>\n
\"The blasts were not as spectacular as the previous ones, the
\ntargets of which were clear. But now, the national and
\ninternational context seems to be different.<\/p>\n
\"In my opinion, the latest incident appears more political,\"
\nHasyim said but would not elaborate.<\/p>\n
He urged police to investigate the bombings thoroughly and
\nobjectively, and to refrain from reaching a hasty conclusion that
\nthe same bombers from Jamaah Islamiyah were the culprits.<\/p>\n
A similar condemnation was voiced by People's Consultative
\nAssembly (MPR) speaker Hidayat Nur Wahid, who branded the bombers
\nas \"atheists\" who wanted to divide followers of different faiths
\nin Indonesia.<\/p>\n
\"We reject the accusation that Muslims are the bombers. That's
\nnot true. Islam does not allow violence that claims many lives,\"
\nhe was quoted by Antara as saying at a gathering of Muslims in
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
House of Representatives speaker Agung Laksono visited the
\nbomb sites in Bali on Sunday, deploring the attack and mourning
\nthe deaths of the victims.<\/p>\n
He promised to summon the relevant security forces soon to
\nbrief lawmakers on the progress of the investigation into the
\nlatest blasts.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/islams-leaders-condemns-bali-blasts-1447893297",
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