SBY praised for joining Arafat's funeral
M. Taufiqurrahman, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Scholars hailed President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's attendance of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's funeral service in Cairo, Egypt, on Friday, but lamented that he brought only Muslim leaders in his entourage.
Azyumardi Azra of the Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University said that the exclusion of non-Muslim leaders from the delegation sent out a wrong signal that the conflict in Palestine was only the concern of Muslims.
Susilo left for Cairo on Thursday night on a special flight to attend the funeral of Arafat. Susilo was accompanied by, among others, Minister for Religious Affairs M. Maftuh Basyuni, House of Representatives Speaker Agung Laksono, People's Consultative Assembly Speaker Hidayat Nur Wahid, Nahdlatul Ulama chairman Hasyim Muzadi, deputy Muhammadiyah chairman Amin Abdullah and Indonesian Ulema Council secretary-general Din Syamsuddin.
"The President has sent a wrong signal, as if the conflict in Palestine is between Muslims and non-Muslims and Muslims in the country don't show enough solidarity," he said, adding that the President should have asked leaders of the Indonesian Bishops Conference (KWI) and the Indonesian Communion of Churches (PGI) to join.
Azyumardi said that Palestine's liberation movement was nationalistic in nature and was supported both by Muslims and Christians who lived in the occupied territory.
He said that Muslim-based groups such as Hamas were but one component that made up the resistance movement.
"Susilo may have gotten the wrong advice about the whole Palestinian liberation movement before he made the decision to leave for Cairo," he told The Jakarta Post
Separately, Middle Eastern political analyst of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) Riza Sihbudi said that the visit was the realization of Susilo's pledge to one of the political parties that brought him to power, which demanded a strong commitment toward the Palestinian cause.
"Susilo must fulfill his commitment he made to parties like the Prosperous Justice Party which staunchly supports the Palestine Liberation Movement," Riza told the Post.
Azyumardi said Susilo's visit to Cairo to pay his respects to Arafat constituted the highest expression of the country's support for the Palestinians' struggle against the Israeli occupation.
"Indonesia has supported the Palestinian struggle all along and the visit to Cairo for Yasser Arafat's funeral is an important symbol of that support," he said.
He said that relations between Indonesia and Palestine were quite close as indicated by Arafat's four visits to the country and Indonesia's unswerving support for Palestine's independence.