Muslim groups condemn blast, say Islam not to blame

Muslim groups condemn blast, say Islam not to blame

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah, the country's two largest
Muslim organizations, led a chorus of condemnation against the
bomb attack on JW Marriott Hotel and called on people to remain
calm.

In their joint statement issued on Wednesday, the two groups
that boast 75 million followers between them, asked people,
including community leaders and observers, to refrain from
speculating on what caused or who perpetrated the act of terror
that claimed at least 14 lives, but to leave it to the police.

On behalf of their constituents, Hasyim Muzadi, who chairs NU,
and Ahmad Syafii Maarif, who heads Muhammadiyah, said in their
statement that speculation and conspiracy theories over the
tragedy would only complicate the matter.

They called on people to remain calm and ignore provocation
and speculation about the tragedy.

Both figures demanded the government "uncover the case and the
terrorist network behind the incident immediately, professionally
and transparently".

"The party behind the bombing is cruel, despicable and
barbaric. I personally feel tired of this but we must not give
up. Security officers must get tough with the perpetrators,
regardless of their religion or ethnicity," Syafii said.

The series of bombings across the country this year revealed
the government's weakness in investigating and preventing the
crimes, they said.

"We demand that the government, particularly the police,
improve their performance to counter terror acts. We demand the
improvement not only in the investigation but also preemptive
moves in a bid to prevent similar cases from occurring in the
future," the joint statement read.

They admitted that the police should not be singled out in the
case as the fight against terrorism was not only the duty of
security officers but the whole nation.

"We encourage the police to investigate the case and the
government must fulfill their needs. But they must abandon
political motives and work as professional officers," Syafii
said.

The two leaders of moderate Muslim organizations also
expressed condolences to the victims and their families over the
tragedy.

"The blast not only hurt the victims and their families, but
the whole nation. The blast has not only done physical damage to
the country, but has threatened Indonesia's interests in
politics, economics and culture in both the regional and
international communities," Hasyim told a joint press conference
at Muhammadiyah headquarters in Central Jakarta.

Both Hasyim and Syafii agreed that the Marriott bombing had
nothing to do with Islam.

"The police must take the perpetrators to justice regardless
of their religion. There is no other choice but to provide strong
evidence," said Syafii.

Earlier, the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM)
joined the condemnation against people behind the bombing and
threw its weight behind the government's efforts to investigate
the case.

"The government should be open to the public about any
developments in the investigation to avoid rumors among people,"
said Abdul Hakim Garuda Nusantara, Komnas HAM chairman, in his
statement.

A number of political parties, including the National Mandate
Party and the Bull Nationalist Freedom Party (PNBK), also
condemned the bombings, saying it was an affront to humanity.