On Sudarsono's article<\/p>\n
Referring to the article The West and Islam in Indonesia
\npublished in The Jakarta Post on Nov. 4 and Nov. 5, we have the
\nfollowing comments.<\/p>\n
The author did not mention he was expressing his personal
\nviews. Although the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
\nclearly stated (in the Jakarta Post on Nov. 8) that "the opinions
\nexpressed in the article are personal in nature," both the Post
\nand the author are to be blamed for such an error.<\/p>\n
Sudarsono, referring to a third party throughout the article,
\ndealt with the bin Laden phenomenon in a way that serves a false
\nand misleading perception, invented by certain circles in Israel
\nand elsewhere. That is to say, governments of Middle Eastern
\ncountries are responsible for extremism and terrorism in the
\nregion so as to divert attention from the real issue, ie. the
\nbrutal Israeli military occupation of Palestine as the main root
\ncause of violence and extremism in the region and in the Muslim
\nworld.<\/p>\n
This is a fact Sudarsono was not able to identify throughout
\nthe article. Apart from the fact that the bin Laden phenomenon
\nwas the product of the Cold War -- an important issue Sudarsono
\ncompletely disregarded -- reform in the Arab world has never been
\nan issue for al-Qaeda.<\/p>\n
In this regard, it is regrettable that Sudarsono's article
\ncomes at a time that the Palestinian issue is receiving
\nunprecedented international support, including from many elements
\nin the Israeli military establishment.<\/p>\n
Sudarsono -- rightly -- attaches great importance to the
\n"dialogs with the economies and cultures of the West as well as
\nthe great traditions of China, Japan and India." We fully support
\nsuch dialogs that go hand in hand with Islam's rich humanitarian
\ntradition.<\/p>\n
The Koran's core message is pluralistic, featuring respect for
\nthe values of other traditions. (As a matter of fact, the
\nOrganization of the Islamic Conference started such dialogs with
\nother faiths in the early 1990s.) However, Sudarsono made no
\nmention of the importance of inter-Muslim dialog.<\/p>\n
The exchange of visits and experiences between Muslim
\nacademics, ulemas and the elite in Muslim societies can promote
\npeace, tolerance and other great values of Islam. In this
\nconnection, the outcome of the cultural exchange between
\nIndonesia and some Arab countries has always been fruitful for
\nboth sides.<\/p>\n
We are proud of the leading role that many Indonesian
\nacademics and members of the elite, who received their education
\nin Arab countries, have played in promoting religious tolerance
\nand moderation.<\/p>\n
EZZAT SAAD
\nAmbassador of Egypt
\nto the Republic of Indonesia
\nJakarta<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/on-sudarsonos-article-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}