Beirut cleric condemns Jakarta blast

Beirut cleric condemns Jakarta blast

LEBANON: Sheikh Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, spiritual head of
Beirut's Shi'ite Muslim fundamentalists, condemned on Friday the
car-bomb attack on a Jakarta hotel that killed at least 10 people
and said it was harmful to Islam.

"Such actions achieve none of the aims of Islam, which on the
contrary is disfigured by attacks on civilian targets, especially
in Muslim regions where they complicate the situation of
inhabitants and lessen their security," he said in a statement.

But the Shi'ite cleric also underlined his opposition to U.S.
policies which he said "usurp the interests of people and exert
pressure on free men, especially Muslims, under the pretext of
the 'war on terror'".

In Washington, analysts said this week's car bomb in Indonesia
was the latest reminder that the "war on terrorism" cannot be won
like a traditional military campaign and will require a lengthy
global effort. --Agencies