Church pelting mars peace rally

Church pelting mars peace rally

YOGYAKARTA (JP): A rally by some 10,000 Muslims deploring
sectarian violence in Maluku on Sunday was marred when some of
those present pelted churches with stones on their way home.

Six churches -- the Javanese Christian Church on Jl.
Tamansiswa, a Catholic church on Jl. A.M. Sangaji, a Catholic
church on Jl. Bantul, a Catholic church on Jl. P. Senopati, a
Christian church on Jl. DI Panjaitan Ngadinegaran and a Christian
Church on Jl. Suprapto -- were slightly damaged in the attacks.

First Sgt. Waluyo from the Police Mobile Brigade unit suffered
a head injury when he was attacked by a protester with a sharp
weapon. Waluyo was trying to stop the downtown Fransiscus
Xaverius Church from being attacked.

There were no other reports of injuries.

About 10,000 people joined the gathering at Kridosono Sports
Hall in Yogyakarta, which was organized to show solidarity with
fellow Muslims in Maluku.

Most of the participants were dressed in white. They came in
cars, busses, trucks and motorcycles, forming a convoy stretching
one kilometer from the venue.

At least 700 security personnel were deployed to secure the
event, amid fears it could lead to full-scale rioting similar to
that in Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara, early this month.

Addressing the crowd, Ja'far Umar Thalib from Yogyakarta's
Ihya'ussunnah Islamic Boarding School said territorial boundaries
should not obstruct Muslim solidarity. "If you attack Muslims
anywhere in the world, you are attacking all the world's
Muslims," Ja'far said.

Chairman of the Communication Forum of Ahlussunnah wal Jamaah
Ayip Syafruddin Soeratman later denied that members of the forum
were responsible for the attacks on churches. "All our members
headed to Sleman after the gathering," Ayip said, referring to a
neighboring town.

Yogyakarta Sultan Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X expressed
regrets over the incident, recalling that the administration and
the security forces had asked that the rally be called off.

"Police must find the culprits. They must question the rally
organizers. They are, at least, morally responsible," he said.

Fears of violence had closed shops near the stadium and on the
main roads leading to it on Sunday.

The Kotabaru Church near the sports hall canceled its morning
mass on Sunday "due to security concerns".

Security officers deployed to secure nearby churches, however,
were unable to prevent the stone-throwing.

Anxiety about sectarian violence had been strong in Yogyakarta
since the discovery of a homemade bomb in the city's main mosque
last week.

President Abdurrahman Wahid said on Thursday he had ordered
security forces to find the culprit.

A similar rally was also held by Muslims in Surakarta, some 60
kilometers northeast of Yogyakarta, overnight from Saturday to
Sunday. The rally was attended by some 3,000 Muslims and later
dispersed without incident, Detik.com online news service said.

A solidarity rally in Mataram, the largest city on Lombok
island, east of Bali, turned violent this month when participants
went on the rampage, burning at least 11 churches and torching or
ransacking scores of other buildings belonging to non-Muslims
over three days of violence. (44/swa/edt)