'Bali meet may help improve Islam's image'

Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Playing down protests from Muslim groups, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) chairman Hasyim Muzadi said he considered the meeting with United States President George W. Bush crucial to correct his perception of Islam.

NU deputy chairman Masduki Baidlawi said on Tuesday Hasyim was under pressure to turn down the offer to meet Bush in Denpasar.

"But Pak Hasyim insisted that communication is a must as the only way to convey the true face of Islam, which has been tarnished since the U.S.-led war against terrorism. We will never be able to change it unless we establish good communication." Masduki told a press conference at NU Headquarters on Jl. Kramat Raya, Central Jakarta.

Masduki said the Bali talks would enable Hasyim to clarify accusations directed at Islam in connection with terrorism issues.

Hasyim sprang a surprise recently when he said he doubted that Jamaah Islamiyah, an Al-Qaeda network-affiliated organization blamed for a string of attacks in Indonesia and Southeast Asia, had a presence in Indonesia.

During the conference, an NU youth wing held a noisy protest outside the room, demanding that Hasyim shun the meeting on the grounds that the occasion was a mere public relations exercise for the U.S.

Bush is slated to make a three-hour stopover in Bali on Wednesday en route to Australia. The U.S. President attended the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Bangkok, which ended on Tuesday.

During his brief visit, Bush is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with President Megawati Soekarnoputri before meeting Hasyim and three other Muslim leaders.

Sympathy for the U.S. in the wake of the Sept. 11 2001 terrorist attacks turned to anger after it invaded Iraq to oust its leader Saddam Hussein in spite of not receiving support from the United Nations and most countries in the world.

Muhammadiyah chairman Syafii Maarif and Muslim scholar Azyumardi Azra have accepted the offer to meet Bush in Bali, but noted preacher Abdullah Gymnastiar decided to skip the meeting as he will be on pilgrimage to Mecca.

The U.S. government invited Hasyim and Syafii to Washington after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attack in the U.S. to show the world the war against terrorism was not targeting Islam.

A staff member from the office of President Megawati disclosed that each meeting would last 20 minutes, with each Muslim leader being given about five minutes to talk to Bush.

Syafii, a strong critic of U.S. policies in the Middle East, he earlier said he would ask Bush to change his foreign policies, especially those dealing with terrorism and the Israel-Palestine conflict.

However, Syafii admitted he had little hope of a positive result from the meeting, but stressed that it was worth a try rather than "just throwing a fist (at him) from behind a mountain", he explained metaphorically.

Azyumardi, also rector of the Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University in Jakarta, expressed optimism that President Bush would change his attitude toward Islam.

"We should have a positive outlook that the man (Bush) may change his attitude toward Islam," Azyumardi said as quoted by Antara.

"I will try to convince the U.S. President that he need not worry about Indonesian Muslims because we are actually moderate. Radicalism which is promoted by certain Muslim groups does not represent the true face of Islam here," he added.

Azyumardi, Syafii and Hasyim left for Bali on Tuesday afternoon.

Commenting on claims that the meeting would bear no fruit, Azyumardi said Indonesian Muslims should be open-minded and maintain dialog with all parties, rather than losing hope.

"We should not be disheartened and say the meeting would be useless. It is a good opportunity to convey our aspirations to Bush because if we refuse to meet him it would only perpetuate the problems," Azyumardi said.