Muslims told to uphold peace during Ramadhan fasting month
Muslims told to uphold peace during Ramadhan fasting month
JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) called on the Muslim community on Friday to exercise restraint and uphold peace during the Ramadhan fasting month.
In a statement signed by its new chairman Ibrahim Hosen and secretary Nazli Adlani, the council urged all conflicting parties in the country to establish cease-fires and put an end to the ongoing clashes in the troubled provinces of Aceh, Maluku and Irian Jaya.
They said Muslims should forgive each other and people from different faiths.
"(Muslim) people should remove animosity and the desire for vengeance. Let peace, love and trust flourish in the country from this month on," MUI said in the message issued in observance of the fasting month, which began on Thursday.
The council also called on the general public to show respect for the observance of the holy month.
It also appealed to government officials and political leaders to improve their conduct because they were role models for the people.
"The government is expected to be firm in its efforts to maintain order and security from the fasting month on. The people's right to exercise their religious devotion should be guaranteed," it said.
In connection to the government's decision to close schools during the fasting month, the council called on all Islamic education foundations to provide students with more religious lessons.
Also on Friday, MUI deputy chairman Amidhan handed over humanitarian aid packages for Muslim refugees from East Timor, and both Muslim and Christian refugees in strife-torn Maluku. The packages included school uniforms, blankets, sarongs and Islamic prayer clothes.
The head of the Indonesian Communion of Churches (PGI) crisis center, Rev. Leonard Halle, received the donations on behalf of Maluku's Christian refugees.
On Thursday, the national committee for the celebration of Christmas provided free medical treatment to Acehnese refugees in the North Sumatra town of Binjai. A team of 10 doctors and five paramedics treated 731 people, Antara reported. (04)