Ulemas Council does about-face on jihad<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) defied
\nPresident Abdurrahman Wahid's stern warning against a holy war,
\nexpressing its sympathy for the cry invoked by Muslim
\ndemonstrators for a jihad to defend their brethren in Maluku.<\/p>\n
In a statement issued on Saturday, MUI also called on Muslims
\nthroughout the country to foster unity, cohesion, solidarity and
\nvigilance against any kind of trick and stratagem by certain
\ngroups who are anti-Islam.<\/p>\n
The tone and spirit of the statement, which was signed by
\nchairman H. Amidhan and secretary-general Nazri Adlani, departs
\nfrom the stance taken by MUI earlier this week, according to the
\nAntara news agency.<\/p>\n
In the statement, MUI strongly condemned what it described as
\nthe brutal massacre of Muslims and innocent children, the raping
\nof women and the destruction of dozens of mosques and prayer
\nhouses in Maluku by extremists in collaboration with foreign
\nparties.<\/p>\n
The Islamic scholars characterize the massacres as barbaric
\nand cruel actions in blatant violation of human rights, all of
\nwhich constitute the persecution of Muslims.<\/p>\n
MUI has accused the government of being halfhearted in dealing
\nwith the violence and of condoning the arbitrary torture of
\nMuslims in the eastern Indonesian islands.<\/p>\n
\"We strongly urge the government of President Abdurrahman
\nWahid and Vice President Megawati to act quickly and firmly
\nagainst those responsible for the violence,\" MUI said.<\/p>\n
Thousands of people have been killed on various islands in
\nMaluku since the sectarian violence erupted early last year.<\/p>\n
Thousands of extra soldiers have already been sent to the
\nislands to prevent further sectarian clashes.<\/p>\n
MUI has also lambasted the National Commission on Human Rights
\nfor its indifference toward the brutality against Muslims in
\nMaluku, urging the government to dissolve the commission.<\/p>\n
\"We urge the government to dissolve the National Commission on
\nHuman Rights and other non-governmental organizations because
\nthey are clearly working for foreigners and defending only the
\ninterests of foreigners,\" MUI added.<\/p>\n
This stance is a change from earlier this week, when the
\nleaders of MUI criticized the calls for a holy war in Maluku,
\nwarning that a jihad would only worsen the bloodshed.<\/p>\n
Umar Shihab, a co-chairman of MUI, was quoted as saying on
\nWednesday that he was against a jihad if it mobilized thousands
\nof people to take revenge.<\/p>\n
Shihab said he considered a holy war to be a sin.<\/p>\n
But he said it would be a different matter and something that
\nwould be allowed if Muslims were to fight against the
\nprovocateurs who had fomented the sectarianism in Maluku. The
\nviolent clashes in Maluku have killed more than 1,500 people
\nsince early 1999.<\/p>\n
Earlier on Tuesday, President Abdurrahman rejected calls for a
\njihad in Maluku, warning that stern measures would be taken
\nagainst those going to Maluku to fight.<\/p>\n
On Saturday in Medan, North Sumatra, a Muslim group opened a
\npost to collect donations for Muslims in Maluku and to register
\nvolunteers willing to fight a jihad in the eastern islands.<\/p>\n
Syamsul Qomar, chairman of the Forum for the Defense of
\nMuslims, was quoted by Antara as saying that volunteers who
\nwanted to fight in a jihad would be provided with facilities and
\nfunds.<\/p>\n
Qomar made the announcement to a mass gathering held by
\nthousands of Muslims in Merdeka Square in the North Sumatra
\ncapital on Friday in a show of compassion for Muslims in Maluku.<\/p>\n
The gathering was also attended by Governor Rizal Nurdin and
\nMilitary Commander Maj. Gen. A. Affandi.<\/p>\n
Separately, the military said on Saturday that there were no
\nreports of fresh violence in Maluku and fewer people were engaged
\nin mass mobilization.<\/p>\n
TNI spokesman Col. Panggih Sundro reported that during recent
\nhouse-to-house searches for weapons in Maluku, many people
\nvoluntarily surrendered their weapons.<\/p>",
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