Iraq war not sectarian: Religious leaders
Iraq war not sectarian: Religious leaders
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja and Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post,
Jakarta/Yogyakarta
The country's interfaith groups are stepping up efforts to
contain a possible shift in the sentiment toward the Iraqi war
from one of humanitarian concern to a religious issue.
Speaking to the press after a meeting with foreign affairs
minister Hassan Wirayuda on Wednesday, the religious leaders
asserted that believers of all religions in the country were
united in their opposition to the current war on Iraq.
"We should continuously underline that what is happening in
Iraq is not a sectarian war," Muslim scholar Komaruddin Hidayat
said after the meeting.
"We should consolidate to ensure that the issue will never
disrupt domestic stability."
As part of the campaign to contain moves to reduce the Iraq
war to a sectarian issue, the interfaith group will organize an
antiwar rally, to be participated in by followers of all
religions and faiths.
"We will arrange a rally that will not be dominated by
Muslims," Komaruddin of Paramadina University said. Indonesia is
the world's most populous country.
No place and date have been set for the rally.
Such a rally, however, already took place in Yogyakarta.
Hundreds of people grouped under the Interfaith Solidarity for
Peace held a mass prayer for the Iraqi people on Wednesday.
The gathering, attended by members of 29 community groups,
also condemned the attack by the U.S. and its allies on Iraq and
called for an end to the war.
Another group of 200 people from different religions also
conducted a prayer at Gadjah Mada University, with leaders of the
respective religious groups taking turns in leading the prayer.
"We express our deepest condolences for the war victims
including civilians, women, and children, who are the victims of
the ambitions of a few people," the statement of the group said.
Foreign minister Hassan said the government was fully aware of
the importance of working together with community leaders to
contain a possible shift in focus that would make the Iraq war a
religious issue.
"There is an urgency to consolidate ranks with religious
leaders to contain the possible shift in the issue that would
disrupt domestic stability," the minister said.
Chairman of the Indonesian Communion of Churches Rev. Nathan
Setiabudi also said that all religions were against the war as it
was against humanity.
Interfaith groups have been working hand in hand to campaign
against the war in the past months. They visited Australia and
Europe to send the message of Indonesia's opposition to the war
before the U.S. began its strike.
The religious leaders had been actively appearing in public
forums as a united group against the U.S. incursion on Iraq and
have been effectively communicating the message to the public
that religion had nothing to do with the war.