Protest continues over Indramayu Koran controversy

Protest continues over Indramayu Koran controversy

Nana Rukmana, The Jakarta Post, Indramayu

Thousands of people took to the streets of Indramayu on Thursday
both to condemn and to support Regent Irianto MS Syafiuddin, who
caused a controversy by printing copies of the Koran with his
picture inside.

Groups of people -- those who want the regent to resign for
using the Koran for political purposes and those who support the
besieged Irianto -- held noisy gatherings outside the regent's
office and the regency council building.

The demonstrations began at about 9:30 a.m. under the watchful
eyes of hundreds of officers from the Indramayu Police, the
police's elite Mobile Brigade and the West Java Police

Some 2,000 of the regent's supporters, calling themselves
Indramayu People, Supporters of Yance (the regent's nickname),
arrived from outlying villages in dozens of trucks.

They demanded people stop blowing up the case because the
regent had apologized and withdrew the controversial Koran from
circulation.

Irianto's supporters also threatened to "deal with" anyone who
tried to force the regent out of office or prevent him from
running for a second term during the upcoming election in
October.

"We are on the front line to support Regent Irianto's
leadership. We ask him not to step down. We also ask him to run
in the upcoming election," said Abdul Syakur, one of the
coordinators of the demonstration.

Meanwhile, about 200 people, mostly student activists,
continued to demand the regent's resignation for insulting
Muslims by printing his picture in copies of the Koran.

The protesters, calling themselves the West Indramayu People's
Communication Forum, also demanded the police and prosecutors
investigate the matter.

There was more than the Koran on the protesters mind, however,
and they accused the regent of ignoring western Indramayu in his
development policies.

"Development only happens in eastern Indramayu. This shows the
regent is an unfair leader. We want him to step down
voluntarily," said Imam Yahya of the Indonesian Nationalist
University Students' Movement and the forum's protest
coordinator.

Violence occurred when the two groups met outside the regent's
office and Irianto's supporters surrounded the outnumbered
activists and began pelting them with stones and other objects.

When the police moved in to try and separate the groups they
were targeted by the regent's stone-throwing supporters.

Several activists were physically assaulted by the regent's
supporters. The police arrested 11 people allegedly involved in
the violence.

Meanwhile, Irianto repeated his apology to all Muslims in
Indramayu, Indonesia and the entire world for printing his
picture in the copies of the Koran.

Speaking to journalists after the protest, he also repeated
his willingness to resign if the residents of Indramayu no longer
wanted him to serve as regent.

"If it is only one or two people who want me to resign, I will
not pay attention. But if the people of Indramayu want me to
resign, I will do so tomorrow."

Irianto had over 4,000 copies of the Koran printed with his
picture inside, as well as his mission statement. Several clerics
have weighed in on the controversy, calling the printing of the
Koran with the regent's picture inside haram, or forbidden in
Islam.