NU to pray for peace<\/p>\n
Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The country's largest Muslim organization Nahdlatul Ulama (NU)
\nwill hold a national mass prayer in Surabaya, East Java, on
\nSunday to call on the nation to ask for God's forgiveness.<\/p>\n
NU Chairman Hasyim Muzadi said on Thursday that through the
\nmass prayer, participants would pray for an end to the country's
\nchaotic situation and "thereby becoming aware of our sins and
\nfinding the only key to reviving our life".<\/p>\n
"We'll hold the public prayer to ask for God's mercy so that
\nIndonesia can cope with all its problems...which I believe will
\nworsen towards to the 2004 general election," said Hasyim, adding
\nthat some one million NU members and invitees were expected to
\nattend the prayer.<\/p>\n
"We will also pray for world peace because any attack by a
\ncountry against a sovereign country is a type of violence," said
\nHasyim referring to the U.S. and its allies' threat of force in
\norder to disarm Iraq's Saddam Hussein, despite millions of people
\naround the world who oppose the U.S. action, including Indonesia.<\/p>\n
The public prayer would be the fifth organized by the 40-
\nmillion strong Muslim organization. The first mass prayer was
\nheld in 1994, the second was in 1998, only 10 days after the
\ndownfall of former president Soeharto in May, 22, 1998, and the
\nthird in July 2000. The last NU mass prayer was in April, 2001,
\nor two months before then president Abdurraman "Gus Dur" Wahid --
\nalso a former NU chairman -- was ousted from office by his
\npolitical opponents.<\/p>\n
Hasyim said President Megawati Soekarnoputri and Vice
\nPresident Hamzah Haz were not invited to the public prayer
\n"because we cannot allocate them time to speak".<\/p>\n
Hasyim, nevertheless, said that he had sent invitation letters
\nto the headquarters of Megawati's Indonesian Democratic Party of
\nStruggle (PDI Perjuangan) and Hamzah's United Development Party
\n(PPP).<\/p>\n
Megawati is PDI Perjuangan's chairperson, while Hamzah is PPP
\nchairman.<\/p>\n
Several influential NU ulemas, including some 55 ulemas from
\nthe strife-torn province of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam as well as
\nother NU stronghold regions such as East, West and Central Java,
\nwill also attend the mass prayer.<\/p>\n
Hasyim also confirmed that Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan
\nWirayuda and Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu would be
\namong those praying at the Brawijaya Military Command in
\nSurabaya, East Java.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/nu-to-pray-for-peace-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}