RI Muslims want quick end of U.S. invasion

RI Muslims want quick end of U.S. invasion

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Despite their constant opposition against the U.S.-led invasion
of Iraq, Indonesian Muslim leaders expect the war to end
immediately after coalition forces have taken control of Baghdad.

"The sooner the invasion ends, the better for Iraqi
civilians," said Solahuddin Wahid, deputy chairman of Nahdlatul
Ulama (NU), the country's largest Muslim organization.

He maintained that a prolonged war would only cause more
suffering among the Iraqi people, and that the NU would continue
to collect humanitarian assistance for the Iraqis.

Solahuddin said the fall of Baghdad was widely expected due to
the disparity of power between the coalition troops and the Iraqi
military.

He asserted that NU's opposition to the attack by the U.S. and
its allies on Iraq did not reflect their support for President
Saddam Hussein, whose whereabouts remain a mystery.

"Our concerns deal with the illegal invasion and the
humanitarian tragedy suffered by the Iraqis as a result of the
war," he said.

Thousands of civilians have died and have been wounded during
the U.S.-led war, which began on March 20.

Solahuddin said the Indonesian Interfaith Group, of which he
is a member, would now shift its attention to recovery in Iraq.
The group plans to meet next week to discuss the latest
developments in Iraq.

The group, comprising leaders of various religious groups, has
persistently campaigned against the war. Prior to March 20, the
group's delegation traveled to several countries to call for
peace, including the Vatican.

Their members include chairman of the Indonesian Conference of
Bishops Julius Cardinal Darmaatmadja and chairman of the
Indonesian Communion of Churches Nathan Setiabudi.

"We are calling for a broader role to be played by the United
Nations regarding Iraq's reconstruction," Solahuddin said.

Another member of the group, Ahmad Syafii Maarif, who also
chairs the country's second largest Muslim organization
Muhammadiyah, shared Solahuddin's expectation.

Syafii said an immediate end to the war in Iraq would prevent
a large-scale humanitarian crisis in the oil-rich Middle Eastern
country.

However, he maintained that the U.S. and its allies would be
always remembered as imperialist forces for striking Iraq without
the consent of the UN.

"I have never supported Saddam, but this is not the issue. I
fear that the invasion will sustain animosity against the
Americans and hurt the efforts to promote antiradicalism," Syafii
said.

Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim country, which
saw wave of anti-U.S. rallies even before the war began.

Separately, the coordinator of the Indonesian Committee of
Solidarity for the Iraqi People (KISRA), Hidayat Nurwahid, said
on Thursday he had appointed a team to handle humanitarian
assistance in Iraq.

Called the Food for Iraq Program, the solidarity movement had
raised some 100,000 euros since it held the largest rally against
the war thus far early this month.

The humanitarian assistance team left for Syria on Thursday
evening.