Moslem leaders condemn Russian raid on Chechnya

Moslem leaders condemn Russian raid on Chechnya

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesian Moslem leaders strongly condemned
Russian military aggression against predominantly-Moslem
Chechnya, calling it yet another proof of Russia's hatred of
Islam.

"Afghanistan, Bosnia, and now Chechnya ... Russia made all
these military moves because it wants to wipe out Moslems
everywhere," Ahmad Sumargono of the Indonesian Committee for
World Moslem Solidarity (KISDI) said here yesterday.

Sumargono, K.H. Abdul Rasyid A. Syafei -- another KISDI
leader, and Lukman Harun of the Muhammadiyah organization, warned
the Russian embassy here that it may face waves of protests in
the near future.

Both organizations have successfully mobilized massive
protests for various Moslems' causes, including for aid for
Bosnia and for the abolition of the state-sponsored SDSB lottery.

"Russia is turning Chechnya into a second Afghanistan,"
Sumargono said. "KISDI calls on the Indonesian government to show
a stronger stance against Russia."

"(Russian President Boris) Yeltsin is driven by his hatred,
and by the humiliation he suffered at the hands of Chechen leader
Dzhokhar Dudayev three years ago," Lukman said.

Rasyid told The Jakarta Post that he and his congregation have
already held prayer services for the safety of Chechen's Moslems
and will ask even more people to hold similar prayer meetings in
Jakarta.

Sumargono said that KISDI leaders will consult with the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Indonesia's stance before
organizing any protests.

"We want to air our concern for our Moslem brothers in
Chechnya, but we don't want to go against the government's
stance," he said. "The Chechnya case is not exactly like Bosnia,
which was already an independent state in the first place."

Rasyid said he believed that other Moslem organizations would
soon mobilize and show various forms of support for the Chechen
Moslems.

President Yeltsin ordered his forces to strike secessionist
Chechnya on Sunday, ignoring warnings from friends and foes that
he risked plunging Russia into a bloody Caucasus adventure.

Hopes

The raid effectively dimmed international hopes of averting a
major conflict between Russian troops sent to force Chechnya back
into the Russian Federation and rebel fighters defending the
mainly Moslem region's independence declaration of 1991.

Lukman said Yeltsin's move will drag Russia into prolonged
conflicts similar to the one it had with Afghanistan. Up to
13,000 Russian troops died during the 10-year war.

Historically, Chechnya had been an independent state with a
Moslem majority forced to join Russia under the Tsar in 19th
century, Lukman said.

"Russia, which has just been freed from the grip of communism,
is repeating its violent history by attacking Chechnya using
communist cruelty," Lukman said.

All the Moslem leaders called on the United Nations, member
countries of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) and
other "civilized" countries to help prevent further violence and
aggression in Chechnya.

"Let's stop Yeltsin's blood-thirsty campaign," Lukman, a
member of the New York-based World Conference on Religion and
Peace, said. "No one will get hurt more than innocent people.
Russia must be stopped." (swe)