President Susilo tells Muslims to promote peace

Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono called on Indonesian Muslims to show the true face of Islam in order to change the world's perception that the religion's adherents were partial to terrorism.

In his opening speech to the Congress of Indonesian Muslims at the Istiqlal Mosque on Sunday, the President said Islam was a religion that encouraged its followers to promote peace and justice, and to abjure all forms of violence.

"Terrorism has nothing to do with religious beliefs, or with Islam either. All religious adherents, and even the atheists, may commit terrorism," Susilo said before thousands of participants at the congress, which will run until Thursday.

"I'm here to ask all Muslim people in this country to show the world that Islam is a religion that promotes peace."

Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority country, has been rocked by a series of deadly bombings since the Al-Qaeda terror group attacked the United States in 2001. Indonesian police are still hunting for Malaysian fugitives Azahari bin Husin and Noordin Moh. Top for their alleged roles in the Bali blasts in 2002, the Jakarta Marriot Hotel bombing in 2003 and the attack on the Australian Embassy in Jakarta last year.

Soon after taking office last October, Susilo renewed the country's commitment to eradicating terrorism. He ordered the police to capture the two most-wanted fugitives during the first 100 days of his term, but the police were unsuccessful.

As co-sponsor of the event, the Indonesian Ulema Council has also invited the secretary-general of the World Islamic League, Sheikh Ahmed Mukhsin Al Turki, secretary-general of the World Propagation Council Muhammad Syarief and Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.

The congress is set to discuss various issues involving the cultural, economic, legal and political fields.

It is the fourth congress of its kind since 1937. The initial event was considered a landmark in the country's independence struggle.

Indonesian Muslims convened the second and third congresses in 1950 and 1998, with the last one held to discuss, among other things, the commitment of Muslims to the reform movement in the country after the fall of authoritarian New Order regime.

The ongoing congress was originally scheduled to take place in 2003, but was delayed due to the country's preparations for its landmark direct legislative and presidential elections in 2004.

Outside the congress venue, thousands of supporters of the Islam-based Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) marched from the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle on Jl. M.H. Thamrin to the American Embassy on Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan, both in Central Jakarta, to demand concrete action from the government to support the independence of Palestine.

"The President must fulfill his promise to support Palestine as an independent state," PKS acting leader Tifatul Sembiring said as he led the march.

He said that Susilo's promise had encouraged the party support his presidential bid.