War with Iraq not against Islams: Religious leaders
War with Iraq not against Islams: Religious leaders
Berni K. Moestafa, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Indonesian religious leaders rejected on Thursday a statement by
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad describing a possible
war on Iraq as a war against Islam, but called for a counterforce
to balance the world's only superpower.
The leaders, representing Islam, Christianity, Hinduism and
Buddhism, agreed however that a war in Iraq could undermine
religious harmony in Indonesia and elsewhere.
Returning from a mission to Australia, the Vatican and
Belgium, where they were lobbying in favor of Indonesia's antiwar
stance, the religious leaders met foreign minister Hassan
Wirayuda to discuss the results of their trip.
Chairman of the country's largest Muslim organization
Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), Hasyim Muzadi, said Muslims would likely
suffer the most from any Iraq war.
"But the format (of a possible Iraq war) is not a religious
one," Hasyim told reporters after the meeting.
Last week, Mahathir told a business forum at the Non-Aligned
Movement summit that fear of Muslims was affecting international
policies, and a war on Iraq would be seen as a war on Muslims.
"He (Mahathir) probably has his own opinion, but ours is that
a religious format is not consistent with the reality," Hasyim
said.
The interfaith delegation was led by Cardinal Julius
Darmaatmadja, who chairs the Indonesian Bishops' Conference (KWI)
and included Hasyim, Muhammadiyah chairman Syafii Maarif,
Communion of Indonesian Churches (PGI) chairman Natan Setiabudi,
Hindu leader I Nyoman Suwanda, Buddhist leader Supeno
Alidjurnawan and Muslim scholar Nurcholish Madjid.
The delegation met Pope John Paul in the Vatican, and members
of the European Union parliament in Belgium, hoping to rally what
they called a moral movement to counter Washington's war drums.
"I think that it's not all visitors who are granted a 40-
minute audience (with the Roman Catholic pontiff)," Hasyim said.
He said the interfaith group and the Pope had agreed to
strengthen the calls for peace.
As to the meeting with EU parliamentarians in Belgium, the
views were mixed. "We came to a visionary agreement that war
should be the last resort," Hasyim said.
In Australia, a staunch supporter of the U.S.'s war plans, the
group met government officials and Indonesians, and it received
assurances as to the safety of Indonesian citizens there.
"There is no counterbalance to America as a force ... a new
awareness is growing that a force is necessary to counter
America, and that is the force of universal consciousness," said
Nurcholish, referring to the mass demonstrations worldwide
against an Iraq war.
He said this awareness should remind the U.S. of its own
democratic principle of checks and balances.