Dealing with insults to Islam

I would like to answer to the article of M. Ali, from Manchester U.K. published in the Jakarta Post on Nov. 9, titled Right way to deal with insults to Islam.

As a Frenchman, it is obvious that my country neither follows President Bush's policy on Palestine or Iraq, nor agrees with the simplistic policy "to be either with us or against us (USA)".

Arafat trusted France enough to finish his days in my country. Unfortunately, if all Muslims are not terrorists, all terrorists are Muslims or pretend to be Muslims in the world (a special mention of the local terrorism of Israel against Palestinians should be also included).

Europe, where 31 million Muslims live is not antiMuslim. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) supported Croatian Muslims in Europe against Serbia. But another article published by the Post on Nov. 12, by M. Taufiqurrhaman, based on a survey jointly conducted by the Freedom Institute, the liberal Islam Network and the Center for Islamic and Community Studies (PPIM) of the Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University (UIN), showed that intolerance of religions other than Islam is still high in Indonesia.

The Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) is notorious for its raids against nightspots; the Indonesian Mujahidin Council (MMI) is a radical Islamic group once led by cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir. Some 15.9 percent of respondents supported the terror attacks carried out by top terror suspects Noordin M. Top and Azhari Bin Husin and convicted Bali bombers Imam Samudra and Amrozi. Only 15.95 percent! This is still too high. Some 25.2 percent had no opinion. No wonder, Indonesians might be suspected in western countries, if they are themselves "intolerant toward those who subscribe to different religious beliefs, especially Christians" and tolerate many madrasah (Islam-oriented schools) that groom would-be terrorists.

BERNARD DORLEANS Bekasi, West Java