Harmoko's error 'human': Moslem groups

JAKARTA (JP): Seventeen major Moslem organizations announced jointly yesterday that they fully understand the recent slip of the tongue made by Minister of Information Harmoko, but urged him to ask forgiveness from God.

The organizations, which included the Indonesian Ulemas' Council (MUI), Nahdlatul Ulama, Muhammadiyah and the Islamic Propagation Council (DDII), said that the mistake committed by Harmoko "was human and could happen to anyone."

The joint statement was read by KH Hasan Basri, MUI chairman, in a nationwide televised news conference.

The statement said that the organizations had concluded after being briefed by Harmoko on Wednesday that his mistake was "pure error and forgetfulness."

"There was no intention on the part of the minister to demean Islam."

Reports said Harmoko's "slip of tongue" took place when he opened a leather puppet festival in the Central Javanese city of Surakarta on July 15.

Later, Harmoko confessed to mispronouncing the seventh verse of Al Fatihah, the opening chapter of the Moslem holy book, and apologized for the blunder.

Harmoko said publicly on Wednesday that he had apologized to both God and the Moslem community for the "errors, mistakes and forgetfulness." He has also apologized to President Soeharto and the MUI chairman.

The mistake initially angered several Moslem organizations, which demanded that the minister be brought to trial over the affair.

Meanwhile, Minister of Religious Affairs Tarmizi Taher, speaking at yesterday's conference, urged the public not to exaggerate the episode.

"If making an error in reading the Koran can spark a big problem, many Moslems will be afraid to read it anymore," he said.

Earlier, Tarmizi said that the minister's case was quite different from that of soothsayer Permadi Satrio Wiwoho, who is currently waiting for the court's verdict in his trial for allegedly insulting Islam.

Mispronouncing Koranic verses is one thing and insulting Islam is another, Tarmizi said on Wednesday. "Insulting people can be dealt with by a court of law, but mispronouncing something doesn't call for such a path," he said.

Abdurrahman Wahid, chairman of the Nahdlatul Ulama, the largest Moslem organization in Indonesia, said recently that he had received a report about the case and he had forgiven the minister for the slip of the tongue. "If it was a pure slip of the tongue, we should forgive him and help him stand upright," he said.

Nahdlatul Ulama should not demand that the minister take responsibility for such a mistake, he added.

However, in Yogyakarta yesterday, a Moslem organization called on the local legislative assembly to sue Harmoko over the mispronunciation.

"We feel insulted," Rodji Al-Ghufron, an activist from Forum Santri Yogyakarta, told the assembly leaders during a meeting between his 13-member delegation and legislators.

The forum said in a public statement that an apology was not enough for Moslems.

Harmoko's explanation and apology, which were broadcast by TV networks on Wednesday, were "naive and not serious," Rodji said.

Rodji told the assembly that both Arswendo Atmowiloto, the former chief editor of the banned Monitor tabloid, and Permadi had also apologized for degrading the Prophet Muhammad. "But they still had to stand trial," he added.

The forum' statement received support from Suryanto of the Indonesian Democratic Party and from Herman Abdurrahman of the United Development Party.

"The best way to solve the problem is to take the case to court," Suryanto said. (05/02)