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)