Tens of thousands of Muslims demonstrated in several Indonesian cities on Sunday to protest ongoing Israeli military action, branding Israel and the United States the ”real terrorists”.
Hard-line Islamic groups and women’s organisations rallied in several big Indonesian cities, denounced the Israeli bombardments against southern Lebanon.
In the capital, Jakarta, a large and peaceful but noisy crowd marched from the city’s main traffic circle to the United Nations office before rallying outside the US embassy, according to witnesses.
During the protest, dubbed as the ”action of one million believers”, demonstrators blocked the capital’s main roads, carrying pamphlets that, among others, read: ”Down with Israel”, ”Wiped out from the world’s map” and ”US and Israel the real terrorists”.
Amidhan, chairperson of the Indonesian Ulemas Council — Indonesia’s highest Muslim cleric group — called for Israel to be brought to the International Court of Justice, and charged that country with violating human rights.
”Israel have to be brought to the International Court of Justice because that country has killed many children and women,” Amidhan told the crowd, which shouted: ”Allahu akbar [God is great].”
In the East Java capital of Surabaya, about 1 500 activists from the Indonesian Muslim-based Prosperous and Justice Party shouted ”Down with Israel and America” and called those countries the ”real terrorists” during a noisy protest, local media reported.
Protesters unfurled banners denouncing the Israeli attacks on Lebanon, while others set a number of Israeli and US flags on fire, and yelled ”US support the Israeli terrorists”. The activists also raised the equivalent of $16 500 for aid with a ”one dollar, one person” campaign.
Similar anti-Israel and anti-US protests also took place in Yogyakarta, central Java, and in the north Sumatra capital of Medan, where several hundreds of Muslim youths condemned the Israeli aggression against Lebanon and Palestine.
Din Syamsuddin, chairperson of Indonesia’s second-largest Islamic organisation, Muhammadiyah, who also led the Jakarta rally, said protesters would also march to the State Palace, near the US embassy.
”This is a rally of a country that promotes peace and condemns any form of violence,” Syamsuddin was quoted as saying by The Jakarta Post. He said about one million people were expected to join the rally.
”The rally is to demonstrate our solidarity with out brothers in Palestine and Lebanon,” he said. ”The war must be stopped.”
Meanwhile, firebrand Indonesian Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Ba’asyir, believed by Western governments to be the spiritual leader of the regional terror group Jemaah Islamiyah, urged Indonesia to ask the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) to deploy mujahedin fighters to southern Lebanon to help fight against Israel.
”For the best, the Indonesian government must invite the OIC member countries to send mujahedin to fight against Israel, and declare a war against Israel,” Ba’asyir told a crowd of about 1 000 of his followers in the central Java district of Pekalongan.
”At least, the Indonesian government opens the door for its own citizens who are willing to go for jihad [holy war] in Lebanon,” Elshinta private radio quoted Ba’asyir as saying.
Indonesia is the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation, and although it is a secular state, its population has become increasingly vocal in recent years about the US-led war on terror, Iraq, Palestine and other Muslim issues.
An Indonesian Islamic youth leader said on Saturday that 217 members of the newly formed Palestine Jihad Bombing Troops were headed abroad to attack targets in countries that support Israel.
The announcement came despite the government warning citizens against volunteering to join the conflict, instead offering to contribute troops to any UN-led peacekeeping force that may be deployed in the region. — Sapa-dpa