FPI denies planned attack

JAKARTA, Indonesia: Responding to a heated situation outside the Utan Kayu Community complex on Friday, the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) denied planning to attack a group of liberal Muslims.

"If people keep on blowing up issues like that, we might attack for real," FPI commander Jaffar Sidik was quoted as saying by Tempointeraktif.com.

Jaffar explained that there was never any plan to attack the Liberal Islamic Network (JIL) and that the rumor was spread by those opposed to the FPI.

He added that the FPI had only scheduled a tabligh akbar (mass gathering) after Friday prayers with several other Muslim groups at the Al-Azhar Mosque in South Jakarta.

Friday's tabligh akbar was also attended by Husein Umar from the Islamic Preachers Board and Ahmad Sumargono from the Indonesian Muslims' Solidarity Movement.

Separately, Hamid Basyaib, a JIL coordinator, said on Saturday that he had confirmed the news of Friday's planned protest by the FPI with one of the hard-liners' lawyers.

Some 300 people who had been gathering since Friday afternoon at the Utan Kayu compound went home relieved after realizing nobody from the FPI would turn up to attack the compound as rumored. -- JP