Gus Dur says groups of fanning religious discord
Gus Dur says groups of fanning religious discord
JAKARTA (JP): The chairman of the country's largest Moslem
group Nahdlatul Ulama, Abdurrahman Wahid, said on Monday there
were parties exploiting religious sensitivities to stir up
unrest.
Recent riots with religious overtones, including the
vandalization and arson of six mosques in Kupang, East Nusa
Tenggara, on Monday, "did not happen just like that", Antara
quoted him as saying.
"I think there are parties behind this but I cannot reveal
their identity," he said late Monday at his residence in
Ciganjur, South Jakarta.
Abdurrahman, better known as Gus Dur, later met with Cardinal
Julius Darmaatmadja and philosopher Franz Magnis Suseno.
The Kupang unrest occurred after a ceremony marking the
Ketapang riot in Jakarta on Nov. 22 in which 22 churches were
damaged and 14 people killed.
Abdurrahman cited his sources as saying that a group of
unidentified people urged the gathering crowd to attack mosques.
"I don't think the people were from the town."
He urged all Moslems to refrain from seeking reprisals.
"Moslems must not be tricked by the action, which seems to be
a religious affair, because there are political interests behind
it."
Referring to various incidents with religious characteristics,
he said they were "designed as though there is a conflict among
religious groups at the grass roots. Actually, it is only pitting
religious groups against one another".
Earlier, the head of the Central Board of the Indonesian
Mosque Council, Zaini A Noeh, said the council coordinated with
the Ministry of Religious Affairs to contain the riots.
Antara reported that he added that Moslems should not be
provoked "by certain groups seeking only to make trouble for
Moslems".
The Catholic Democratic Party in a press release on Monday
regretted what it said was an example of the "politics of divide
and conquer". Chairman Marcus Mali and secretary-general Nirwan
Sembiring said the use of such political ploys should stop
because they would only ruin unity and harmony among religious
groups.
It urged an immediate investigation into the riots. (anr)