Religious leaders urged to keep peace<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The country's top religious leaders on Friday
\ncalled on all religious and community leaders not to create the
\nimpression that an interreligious conflict had taken place in the
\naftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Conference on Religion and Peace (ICRP) made
\nthe call amid growing anti-U.S. sentiment following the country's
\nthreat to attack Afghanistan in pursuit of Saudi dissident Osama
\nbin Laden.<\/p>\n
"We request all religious leaders and public figures not to
\nuse the aftermath of the Sept. 11 tragedy to create a situation
\nwhere it appears that there is confrontation between particular
\nreligions," the group said in a statement signed by 24 leaders of
\nall main faiths.<\/p>\n
Among them were chairman of the country's largest Islamic
\norganization Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) Hasyim Muzadi, Jakarta Bishop
\nJulius Kardinal Darmaatmaja, Buddhist leader Sukhemothera, AA
\nYewangoe from the Indonesian Church Union and ICRP president
\nDjohan Effendi.<\/p>\n
"Our plea to other religious leaders is to handle correctly
\nthe radical elements within their own religious movements ...
\nConfrontation, whether based on religion or otherwise, will only
\nprovoke further disputes and violence," Muslim scholar Ulil
\nAbshar-Abdalla cautioned reading the statement in a press
\nbriefing.<\/p>\n
The group also called on religious leaders to use effective
\nmeasures in controlling hard-line elements within each religion
\nin order to facilitate dialog.<\/p>\n
"Only through dialog peace could be achieved," Ulil said.<\/p>\n
The briefing, held at NU's head office in Jakarta, was
\nattended by dozens of domestic and foreign reporters.<\/p>\n
The leaders condemned the terrorist attacks that claimed more
\nthan 6,000 lives, but urged the U.S. not to attack Afghanistan
\nand not to target bin Laden without clear evidence.<\/p>\n
"Because ICRP is only an organization," Djohan said, "we can
\nonly call on the U.S. not to launch a retaliatory attack on
\nAfghanistan."<\/p>\n
Yewangoe agreed, saying "it appears to be our moral
\nresponsibility in preventing a vicious cycle of terrorism."<\/p>\n
The religious leaders shared the opinion that the terrorist
\nattacks on New York's World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon
\nwere an attack against humanity and not against a certain
\nreligion. "Therefore there is no need to inflame religious
\nsentiment," they said.<\/p>\n
ICRP is an interreligious organization, the local chapter of
\nthe World Conference on Religion and Peace (WCRP), which was set
\nup in July 2000 to develop an understanding of pluralism within
\nIndonesian society and respect for human dignity.<\/p>\n
Earlier this week, the Indonesian Council of Ulemas (MUI)
\ncondemned the terrorist attacks on the U.S. and called for
\nMuslims all over the world to unite for a jihad should America
\nproceed with its plan to attack Afghanistan for harboring bin
\nLaden.<\/p>\n
The council clarified a day later that its call for jihad did
\nnot mean that it was urging Muslims to wage a physical war
\nagainst the U.S. (08)<\/p>",
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