Indonesian Muslim protesters hold posters during a demonstration outside the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta

By Kazi Mahmood, IOL South East Asia correspondent

KUALA LUMPUR, January 29 (IslamOnline) – Indonesia’s two largest Islamic based organizations, the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah, have rejected an invitation to attend an inter-religious gathering from the United States Congress in protest of the U.S. plans to attack Iraq.

The NU chairman Hasyim Muzadi said he would absolutely reject the invitation to attend the annual National Prayer Breakfast because the U.S. had failed to live up to its promise to promote peace, the Jakarta Post reported Tuesday, January 28.

Saying that the event was irrelevant in the light of the U.S. plans to attack Iraq, NU chairman Hasyim Muzadi added he felt the U.S. had failed to live up to its promise to promote peace.

The NU chairman confirmed the Muhammadiyah had also rejected the invitation for the same reason. However, there were no official comments from the Muhammadiyah.

The U.S. Congress invited both Hasyim and Sjafii for the event scheduled for February 4 through February 7, 2003. Last year, Hasyim and Sjafii were invited to the U.S. as Washington sought support in the war against global terrorism.

During a visit to Washington last year, Hasyim told U.S. President George W. Bush and Congress about Indonesia’s brand of Islam and clarified the nature of Islam in the country, which was determined mostly, he believed, by moderate figures rather than hardliners.

Hasyim said he would immediately write the U.S. Congress with his rejection.

Boasting 40 million supporters, NU is the biggest Muslim organization in the country, while Muhammadiyah is second with 35 million. Indonesia has 212 million citizens, 89 percent of which are Muslims.

On the other hand, Director General for Defense Strategies Maj. Gen. Sudradjat said on Tuesday that Indonesia would not assist the United States in its proposed attack on Iraq because it supported the United Nations mechanism for handling international crises, Antara reported.

"From the beginning, Indonesia always supported the UN mechanism to solve the Iraqi problem," Sudradjat told Antara, adding that the government's stance was in accordance with the international community's rules of the game.

Opposition worldwide

So far, France and Germany have conveyed their rejection of the U.S. request for their involvement in the U.S. and British military campaign against Baghdad to topple President Saddam Hussein.

The Chinese government has also sent a signal of opposition to the White House's ambition to wage war against the Iraqis, AFP.

While the U.S. is gearing for the war against Iraq, aversion toward such a move is growing in Indonesia, renewing warnings that Washington is damaging its already uneasy ties with Jakarta.

"As a member of the Non-Aligned Movement and the international community, Indonesia has no other choice but to condemn such an attack," said respected scholar and former defense minister Juwono Sudarsono on Tuesday to the press in Jakarta.

He stressed that even if the UN issued a resolution against Baghdad for failing to disarm itself that still could not justify a unilateral attack on Iraq.

Numerous anti-America demonstrations flooded Jakarta's streets after it attacked Afghanistan in late 2001.

Many viewed the strike as an act of retaliation rather than self-defense following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.