Indonesians were against Iraq invasion

By Kazi Mahmood, IOL Correspondent

KUALA LUMPUR, October 20 (IslamOnline.net) - Most Indonesians plan to receive U.S. President George W. Bush with protests against Washington’s foreign policies, as the vice president of the Asian country said it would be much better to discuss financial aid rather than terrorism with the visiting leader, according to press reports Monday, October 20.

In Jakarta, many wish to show Bush, whose visit is slated two days later, how much the Muslims are against him and his anti-Muslim policies.

“There will be demonstrations in Jakarta and even in Bali if necessary to prove to Bush that we do not want him,” a student from a local university in the Indonesian capital told IslamOnline.net.

“We will burn U.S. flags, we will shout anti-American slogans. These are still weapons of mass convincing that we, students of Indonesia, must use against the arrogance of the U.S. and of its President,” said the youth, who spoke in Indonesian.

However he, like most IOL spoke to in Jakarta, held little hope of a positive result from the Bush visit saying that the U.S. President is not going there to listen but to warn and to talk his piece in the hope that the Muslims in Indonesia gives him support.

“President Megawati is a supporter of Bush, but her government in its majority is against that, we all know that yet she will downplay our calls and will not even tell Bush off,” said another student Rudy Amran, another university student.

Vice-President Haz was even rammed home the message direct, saying that Bush would do better to discuss economic aid and on how to assist Indonesian economy to grow, rather than focusing on the issue of terrorism.

“The question of terrorism is a small matter compared to the issue of Indonesian economy. It’s due to bad economy that we may have terror on our hands,” Haz was quoted by Republika newspaper as saying.

 ‘Not Worthy’

Bush is slated to make a brief, three-hour stopover in Bali on Oct. 22 as part of an Asia-Pacific tour that has taken him to Japan and the Philippines.

He is expected to meet four prominent Muslims, most of them involved in Islamic circles are being invited by the U.S. Embassy for the Sunday meeting.

One of those invited, popular preacher and Muslim caller Abdullah Gymnatyar said last week he will not meet with Bush in protest of his foreign policies towards Islamic nations.

Ahmad Syafii, who is among the four invited, said that he would ask Bush to change his foreign policies, especially those dealing with terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“I will ask Bush not to continue his political adventure. He said in Manila recently, for example, that he wanted Australia to become the sheriff of Asia. I think it's a latter-day imperialistic adventure. It's an anachronism and would only suit the 17th or 18th century," Syafii added to the Jakarta Post newspaper.

"This is exactly what I will do. I'll meet him face to face to say what I feel about the leader of the world's only superpower," said Syafii, the chairman of Muhammadiyah, the country's second-largest Muslim organization.

He said Bush's foreign policy had been too pro-Israel.

Other Islamic leaders in the country said Bush is not a worthy visitor to their country.

“He is an agent of state terrorism ... and a criminal against humanity because he has destroyed other peoples and nations," said Din Syamsuddin, secretary general of the Indonesia Ulemas Council representing Islamic scholars and organizations.

Observers said the U.S.-British invasion and occupation of Iraq, and Washington’s support for Israel, has fanned anti-American sentiments in the Arab and Islamic world.

Calling on the U.S. to withdraw from "occupied" territories, including Iraq and Afghanistan, Syamsuddin urged Bush to "open his ears and heart" to the demands of Indonesian Muslims who see the president's so-called war on terrorism as a pretext for destroying Islam.

This came a few days after U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld refused to condemn statements of William Boykin, the new U.S. deputy undersecretary of Defense for intelligence, who had claimed that Muslims’ God "was an idol," and that war on terrorism is a one against the Satan.

Syamsuddin was quoted by Agence France-Presse (AFP) as saying that Bush “is part of the problem in the world, meeting and dialogue with President George W. Bush is not useful and not profitable,"

In his stopover in the Philippines, thousands of anti-U.S. protesters demonstrated in Manila and burned U.S. flags.

Five House of Representatives members walked out as Bush began his speech in a joint session of Congress.