Harmoko's error 'human': Moslem groups

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)