On call for jihad

On call for jihad

I read the harsh opinion of Benny Subianto about Amien Rais in
The Jakarta Post on Jan. 13, 2000 titled Has Amien Rais' color
changed?, and I started wondering, did he have a more precise
target for these attacking words beside Amien Rais personally?

Why can't Benny say the same words to crowds of hundreds of
thousands gathered at the National Monument (Monas) and the
Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) which urged the government to
take serious action to stop mass murder in North Maluku? Would he
simply call all Muslims who are concerned about stopping those
killings a "sectarian" or "fundamentalist"?

It was reported in Kompas on Jan. 13 that a woman refugee was
shocked by the merciless attack carried out by a party who had
not experienced strife or problems before. And sadly people are
being attacked just because they have different faiths. Like it
or not, you have to swallow what you see: a religious war.

The Muslim reaction to the killing was morally justifiable.
They don't give a damn about Christians anywhere or about
proclaiming a holy war. They just want to see an immediate
response from the government. I personally disregard anyone in
society or the mass media who remains silent about what is
happening in North Maluku. I praise Amien Rais for his immediate
response to the tragedy, while others are speechless.

Muslim reactions are still within the corridor of law since
they respect other believers in their neighborhood.

About Amien Rais' tending to be anti-Chinese and anti-
Christian, clear evidence should be cited. So far, I believe that
Amien Rais is miles away from being so.

HARIS ADRIANSYAH

Jakarta