KISDI protests newspaper

JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesia Committee for World Moslems Solidarity (KISDI) has launched a protest against a national newspaper claiming that its editorial on violence in Algeria had slandered Islam.

Ahmad Sumargono, KISDI's vice chairman, led a small delegation of 10-people yesterday to the Ministry of Information to submit a protest letter to Minister of Information R Hartono.

The letter was received by the minister's personal secretary.

KISDI claimed that the Kompas newspaper's Aug. 28 and Sept. 2 editorials, which said the sadistic butchering in Algeria was carried out by the Islamic Salvation Front, was libel.

"This is cornering Moslems as if Moslems are brutal," Ahmad told reporters, adding that "up till now, there has been no claim of responsibility for the violence from any party."

Ahmad called on the Ministry of Information to follow up KISDI's protest.

KISDI also called news reports from Algiers in The Jakarta Post as "reckless".

About 1,500 people have been killed in attacks attributed to militants since early June in Algeria. (10)