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Religious Groups Threaten to Expel Americans from Indonesia
JAKARTA, Sept 21 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Conservative Indonesian Muslim groups on Friday threatened to attack the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta and force the expulsion of American citizens if Washington carries out strikes against any Islamic nation.
The threat comes from hardline religious groups, including the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) and Laskar Jihad. The Laskar Jihad became popular after it entered the Malukus to support the embattled and abandoned Muslims in their fight against Christian extremists in 1999.
The Laskar Jihad said Malukus's Christians had the support of the Indonesian military (majority Christian in Maluku) and mercenaries from Holland and the U.S.
"If the U.S. carries out its threat in the form of military aggression against any Muslim states, then the FPI will perceive it as an act of terrorism," FPI head Al Habib Muhammad Riziq Syihab said.
At a news conference in Jakarta Wednesday, nine hardline Muslim groups said they would be obeying the word of Allah if they fought back after any U.S. military strikes against Muslims or Islamic countries.
The groups said they would target any U.S. organizations, including businesses. They also plan to search for U.S. citizens living in Indonesia.
"The U.S. should not launch a provocation by attacking Muslims and the Muslim world," H.A. Husaini, secretary general of the Indonesian Committee for World Islamic Solidarity (KISDI), said.
Husaini read out a declaration signed by the nine organizations, urging Washington to make a wise and fair decision in dealing with terrorism. "If the U.S. used the terrorist issue to wage a war against Muslims, we would have no choice but to defend our rights," he said.
The FPI, for its part, said it would send its members to Afghanistan if the U.S. launches strikes on the nation hosting Osama bin Laden. The group also called on Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri's government not to cave into Washington's "pressure to wage a war against Muslims".
The FPI added they would not want wage a jihad, or struggle, against the U.S. if the latter did not attack Muslim interests, or any Muslim nation in its "crusade".
In Indonesia, Muslims in the majority, do not agree bin Laden, or his Al Qaeda group, are behind the attacks in Washington and New York.
Muslim legislators and average Indonesians say Muslims are the ones that have suffered an unjust backlash of the aftermath of the attacks, accusing the U.S. government of deliberately holding the names of Muslim passengers on the fatal flights.
The groups' statement said that if Megawati supports U.S. attacks against Muslim civilians in Afghanistan, she would be betraying Indonesian Muslims.
"We warned the president not to become the U.S. government's aide in attacking Muslims," it said. "If America attacks Afghanistan then America is attacking Islam. That would be [like] a crusade under the pretext of terrorism... we will beat the drums for a
jihad."
Vice President Hamzah Haz and People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) speaker Amien Rais have warned the U.S. of making attacks without first providing clear proof of who was responsible for last week's attacks.
Haz leads Indonesia's largest Muslim party, the United Development Party (PPP), while Rais is the former leader of the nation's second largest Muslim organization, the Muhammadiyah.
The FPI, for its part, said it would sweep out U.S. citizens in the country, as it did during Ramadhan a year ago in Solo and Jakarta. Members of the FPI invaded hotels and resorts in these cities in search of American citizens, urging them to leave Indonesia.
"By sweeping we do not mean to beat or to kill Americans. We want them out. That is all.
"The leadership of the FPI is reasonable, but I cannot guarantee that our grassroots will follow us. What if they kidnapped or attacked Americans on Indonesian soil? That is why we want to sweep out the Americans before anything happens," Riziq said.
Riziq said the U.S.'s planned attacks against Muslim countries will result in an increase in hatred towards the U.S. and will solidify the Muslim
ummah (Muslim nation) in a war against the aggressors.
The U.S. ambassador to Indonesia, Robert S. Gelbard, went to National Police Headquarters Friday to request security guarantees for U.S. citizens and facilities in the country, National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Didi Widayadi said.
Didi confirmed that Gelbard met with National Police secretary-general Comr. Gen. Yun Mulyana Friday morning, as National Police chief Gen. Surojo Bimantoro is currently on a working visit to Budapest, Hungary.
During the meeting, Didi said Gelbard requested security guarantees for U.S. residents and facilities from groups that have issued recent threats.
It was also reported that Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Sofjan Jacob performed his Friday prayer at the base of the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) as part of police efforts to enlighten the group and warn them to practice restraint.
Police were out in force around the United States Embassy in Central Jakarta Friday as dozens of protesters from a group calling themselves the Indonesian Islamic Students held a demonstration demanding a stop to what they claim was U.S. aggression against Islam.
There were so far no reports of incidents as a result of Friday afternoon's protest.
The students unfurled banners, both in English and Indonesian, expressing their displeasure over recent U.S. government statements that were biased against Islam.
The students, the Antara news agency said, also carried a few photographs of Osama Bin Laden.
With additional reporting by Kazi Mahmood
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