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Islam Does Not Threaten Other Religions; Indonesian Vice President
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| Muslim women in Indonesia |
By
IOL Correspondent, Kazi Mahmood
JAKARTA,
March 22 (IslamOnline) - Indonesian Vice President Hamzah Haz on
Thursday said Islam does not threaten other religions and the
presence of Muslim hard-liners did not represent the majority of the
Muslims in the country.
Haz
had talks with leaders of Laskar Jihad, Indonesian Mujahiddin
Council (MMI) and Islamic Defender Front (FPI), known as Muslim
hard-line groups. After the talks, he said he could find no proofs
terrorists were present in Indonesia.
He
said he met the leaders to inquire about alleged links to
international terrorist networks.
Haz
became vice president last year when Abdurrahman Wahid was ousted by
Parliament in a political drama. Wahid’s vice president Megawati
Sukarnoputri became president.
His
stance on the terrorism issue reflects the official policy of the
country, which has refused to follow the United States in the war
against terror.
Indonesia,
now a full fledge democratic nation of 212 million people, does not
believe in arresting suspected terrorists without proof of their
involvement in acts of terror.
This
policy drew fire from the U.S. and some of its neighbors, including
Malaysia and Singapore, who said it allowed terror suspects to rove
freely in Indonesia.
Hamzah Haz is the leader of Indonesia's largest Muslim-based
party, the United Development Party (PPP). He urged all Muslims to
promote peace and show the world that Islam does not threaten other
religions.
"There
are always hard-line groups within a religious community, but they
do not represent the majority. We must show the world that we are
not Muslims who like to destroy everything," he said. “Islam
is no threat to other religions."
Indonesia
has been in the spotlight after a series of arrests of its citizens
following the Sept. 11 deadly attacks.
The
latest came on Sunday, when Muslim activists Agus Dwikarna, Tamsil
Linrung and Abdul Jamal Balfas were arrested at Manila's Ninoy
Aquino airport for possession of material to make a bomb.
Haz
said the arrests could tarnish the image of both Indonesia and
Islam.
"That
is why we have to maintain peace. Our country is already suffering
from the prolonged crisis and needs security and political stability
to recover," Haz said.
Singapore
is urging Indonesia to hand over Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Ba'syir,
who is its Chief Minister Lee Kuan Yew over terror claims.
The
trial was postponed until April 4 as Lee's representative from the
Singaporean embassy failed to attend court.
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