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Muslims and people of other faiths are set to join forces
here Sunday in a huge rally to condemn Israel for its brutal offensive
against Lebanon and to press for an immediate cease-fire.
Jakartans are being advised to avoid the roads leading to the Hotel
Indonesia traffic circle, where the demonstration will start at around
1 p.m.
Muhammadiyah chairman Din Syamsuddin, who will lead the rally, said
protesters would later march to the State Palace and the United States
Embassy in Central Jakarta. Around one million people are expected to
join, he added.
Din called on Jakartans to join the rally, dress in white and avoid
carrying sharp weapons. "This is a rally of a country that promotes
peace and condemns any form of violence," he said.
He offered a personal apology to members of the public who may be
inconvenienced by the massive demonstration, especially those who will
pass the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle and the National Monument.
"The rally is to demonstrate our solidarity with our brothers in
Palestine and Lebanon," said Din. "The war must be stopped."
People's Consultative Assembly Speaker Hidayat Nurwahid, House of
Representatives Speaker Agung Laksono and non-Muslim leaders, namely,
Andreas Yewangoe of the Indonesian Communion of Churches (PGI) and
Julius Kardinal Dataatmaja from the Indonesian Bishops Conference
(KWI), are scheduled to give speeches in the rally.
Also in attendance will be I Nyoman Suwandhi from the Indonesian Hindu
Dharma Association (PHDI), Bikku Vidya Sasana from the Indonesian
Buddhist Great Shangga Council (KASI) and Budi Tanuwibowo from the
Confucian Supreme Council of Indonesia (Matakin).
Meanwhile, more than 100 jihadis paraded in West Kalimantan on Saturday
as their leader vowed they would head abroad to attack Jewish interests
in countries supporting Israel.
The turnout of 160 men wearing black-hooded robes from the hard-line
ASEAN Muslim Youth Movement (AMYM) was dramatically lower that the
3,000 that leader Suaib Didu had earlier claimed would show up.
The men stood in military formation and demonstrated martial arts in a
public square opposite the military headquarters in Pontianak, the
capital of West Kalimantan. "Their aim is (to) protect our friends from
Israeli aggression," Didu told AFP.
"They will be sent to various cities, and we will see if they can enter
Israel or not," he said, speaking after several fighters demonstrated
their skills. As one man lay on the ground, another broke a brick in
half on his forehead with his bare hands.
The men will travel overland from West Kalimantan into Malaysian
Borneo, said Didu, because many lacked passports and proper travel
documents, implying that immigration procedures were less stringent at
crossings here.
But police said they doubted the group would send anyone. "It's just
emotions that are speaking," police spokesman Anton Alam Bachrul told
AFP, adding that police in Pontianak had spoken to the group Friday.
Some onlookers believed the "jihad register" was a ploy by intelligence
authorities to gather information about possible radicals in the area.
One man, Bahrudin Nahris, claimed Saturday to be the leader of a
suicide bombing mission, but declined to say how they would get to the
Middle East without funding or travel documents, AP reported.
The AMYM claims it has already dispatched 217 suicide bombers,
including 72 Indonesians and citizens of six other Southeast Asian
nations, to attack Jewish targets in countries such as Britain, the
United States and possibly Australia.
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