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.