Muslim groups condemn blast, say Islam not to blame<\/p>\n
Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah, the country's two largest
\nMuslim organizations, led a chorus of condemnation against the
\nbomb attack on JW Marriott Hotel and called on people to remain
\ncalm.<\/p>\n
In their joint statement issued on Wednesday, the two groups
\nthat boast 75 million followers between them, asked people,
\nincluding community leaders and observers, to refrain from
\nspeculating on what caused or who perpetrated the act of terror
\nthat claimed at least 14 lives, but to leave it to the police.<\/p>\n
On behalf of their constituents, Hasyim Muzadi, who chairs NU,
\nand Ahmad Syafii Maarif, who heads Muhammadiyah, said in their
\nstatement that speculation and conspiracy theories over the
\ntragedy would only complicate the matter.<\/p>\n
They called on people to remain calm and ignore provocation
\nand speculation about the tragedy.<\/p>\n
Both figures demanded the government \"uncover the case and the
\nterrorist network behind the incident immediately, professionally
\nand transparently\".<\/p>\n
\"The party behind the bombing is cruel, despicable and
\nbarbaric. I personally feel tired of this but we must not give
\nup. Security officers must get tough with the perpetrators,
\nregardless of their religion or ethnicity,\" Syafii said.<\/p>\n
The series of bombings across the country this year revealed
\nthe government's weakness in investigating and preventing the
\ncrimes, they said.<\/p>\n
\"We demand that the government, particularly the police,
\nimprove their performance to counter terror acts. We demand the
\nimprovement not only in the investigation but also preemptive
\nmoves in a bid to prevent similar cases from occurring in the
\nfuture,\" the joint statement read.<\/p>\n
They admitted that the police should not be singled out in the
\ncase as the fight against terrorism was not only the duty of
\nsecurity officers but the whole nation.<\/p>\n
\"We encourage the police to investigate the case and the
\ngovernment must fulfill their needs. But they must abandon
\npolitical motives and work as professional officers,\" Syafii
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The two leaders of moderate Muslim organizations also
\nexpressed condolences to the victims and their families over the
\ntragedy.<\/p>\n
\"The blast not only hurt the victims and their families, but
\nthe whole nation. The blast has not only done physical damage to
\nthe country, but has threatened Indonesia's interests in
\npolitics, economics and culture in both the regional and
\ninternational communities,\" Hasyim told a joint press conference
\nat Muhammadiyah headquarters in Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Both Hasyim and Syafii agreed that the Marriott bombing had
\nnothing to do with Islam.<\/p>\n
\"The police must take the perpetrators to justice regardless
\nof their religion. There is no other choice but to provide strong
\nevidence,\" said Syafii.<\/p>\n
Earlier, the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM)
\njoined the condemnation against people behind the bombing and
\nthrew its weight behind the government's efforts to investigate
\nthe case.<\/p>\n
\"The government should be open to the public about any
\ndevelopments in the investigation to avoid rumors among people,\"
\nsaid Abdul Hakim Garuda Nusantara, Komnas HAM chairman, in his
\nstatement.<\/p>\n
A number of political parties, including the National Mandate
\nParty and the Bull Nationalist Freedom Party (PNBK), also
\ncondemned the bombings, saying it was an affront to humanity.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/muslim-groups-condemn-blast-say-islam-not-to-blame-1447893297",
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