Two more non-Muslims assaulted in Makassar
Two more non-Muslims assaulted in Makassar
Jupriadi, The Jakarta Post, Makassar
Muslim students in Makassar ignored explicit warnings from
police, attacking and severely injuring two non-Muslims on
Wednesday.
Tedy Hermanto, 21, and Aris Tandililing, 27, were assaulted by
dozens of students from the Indonesian Muslim University, in
front of their city campus. The assaults stopped after an
assistant to the university rector went into the street and
dispersed the students.
Similar assaults occurred on Tuesday when four non-Muslims
were severely beaten by the university's students, who were upset
by the burning of an Osama bin Laden effigy in the predominantly
Christian town of Tondano, Minahasa Regency, in North Sulawesi on
Sunday.
Prior to the incident, local police expressed concern over the
attacks on Tuesday, saying that such violent acts of intolerance
would never happen in the city again.
South Sulawesi Police chief Insp. Gen. Firman Gani said here
on Wednesday that the police would take action against those
involved and would not tolerate any similar incidents occurring
in the province.
"I have ordered Makassar Police chief Sr. Comr. Amin Saleh to
take strict but measured actions against those involved in the
students' acts of searching for and assaulting non-Muslims,
because it has caused unrest among residents in the city," he
said.
Firman was making a correction to a previous statement
responding to the assaults, in which he said that he would hold a
meeting with the students to avoid such incidents in the future.
Firman also instructed the local police to closely monitor
student activities at other universities to prevent any possible
unrest in the city.
"The police will step up security on campuses and will take
strict, measured actions against those violating the law," he
said.
He warned that security personnel would be ordered to use
repressive measures if students ignored their warnings.
"We have held several discussions with students in campuses in
the city to explain what actions the police will take when
handling such incidents," he said.
Firman said he had also met with the Forum of Religious
Leaders to discuss the attacks and steps that have to be taken to
avoid further acts of violence.
"I have urged the Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) and Muslim
leaders to be more proactive in developing communications with
Muslim people so that such incidents will never happen again," he
said.
Meanwhile, Al Markaz Al Islami Youth Organization chairman
Faisal Attamimi condemned the assault of non-Muslims, saying the
police must take action against those involved in the incident
because it was illegal.
"I want to assert here and now that those who assaulted the
non-Muslims do not represent Muslim people in the province," he
said in a media conference.
He added that what the Muslim students had done against the
non-Muslims had damaged Islam.