Muhammadiyah executive to quit over Israel trip<\/p>\n
SOLO, Central Java (JP): Muhammadiyah, the country's largest
\nsocio-educational organization, has disciplined the head of its
\nforeign relations department for visiting Israel last year.<\/p>\n
The meeting of the Muhammadiyah policy-making body (Tanwir),
\nin a manner unfamiliar to other organizations, Saturday night
\nasked Habib Chirzin, \"to resign from his post\" until its 43rd
\ncongress in Banda Aceh in July.<\/p>\n
Habib joined controversial politician Abdurrahman Wahid, who
\nis chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama, and Djohan Effendy, a senior
\nresearch specialist with the Ministry of Religious Affairs, in
\nthe October visit during which they also attended the signing of
\npeace agreement between Israel and Jordan.<\/p>\n
The trip was widely condemned by Moslem organizations. The
\nCouncil of Ulemas and other organizations said the visit would
\nsplit Moslem opinion here.<\/p>\n
In February last year, Moslem groups also condemned four
\nIndonesian journalists for visiting Israel.<\/p>\n
The three-day Tanwir meeting, which opened on Thursday,
\nclosed Saturday night. It had mainly discussed the preparations
\nfor the 43rd Muhammadiyah congress in Banda Aceh.<\/p>\n
The meeting also repeated the organization's appeal to the
\ngovernment not to open diplomatic relations with Israel until
\nthe Jewish country recognizes the Palestinians' overall rights to
\ndetermine their own fate.<\/p>\n
Terms<\/p>\n
The meeting failed to agree on the limitation of the number
\nof terms its chairman can hold, the most heated topic to come up
\nduring the three days of discussion.<\/p>\n
\"The meeting leaves the problem to the upcoming congress,\"
\nsaid acting Muhammadiyah leader Dr. Amien Rais, who was appointed
\nas full chairman on Thursday by Tanwir.<\/p>\n
Some provincial leaders of the organization oppose the idea
\nof limiting the number of terms because they say this would
\nobstruct a promising leader from implementing his programs.<\/p>\n
The meeting also registered more than a hundred candidates
\nfor Muhammadiyah's chairman to be selected at the July congress.<\/p>\n
Amien, Dr. Syafei Maarif and Dr. Watik Pratiknya are on the
\ntop of the list. They are noted intellectuals from Yogyakarta and
\nbelong to the younger generation of Muhammadiyah leaders.<\/p>\n
The July congress will elect a new chairman and 13 members
\nof the executive board of the organization, which now runs some
\n12,000 schools throughout Indonesia.<\/p>\n
In its decision on tourism the meeting said there were
\nnegative impacts on the people's morality from that sector. That
\nis why Muhammadiyah urged the authorities not only to focus on
\neconomic gains in its policy on tourism.<\/p>\n
The organization also appealed to the government to oppose
\nRussia's ruthless approach in Chechnya, the Serbs' brutality in
\nBosnia-Herzegovina, the western countries' policy in the Persian
\nGulf and Israel's actions in Palestine. (r. fajri\/imn)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/muhammadiyah-executive-to-quit-over-israel-trip-1447893297",
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