HTML pages
designed &
maintained by
Alifuru67
Copyright ©
1999/2001 -
1364283024
& 1367286044
|
|
|||||
|
|
||||
The Jakarta Post, (9/23/2001 9:16:51 PM)
Several Muslim groups search for Americans
SURAKARTA, Central Java (JP): Hundreds of members of several radical Muslim groups went to five-star hotels here on Sunday to find out whether Americans were staying there, insisting that U.S. citizens should leave if the U.S. attacked Afghanistan.
Riding cars and motorcycles, the groups, who calledthemselves the Anti-American Terrorist Soldiers, also went to nearby Adi Sumarmo International Airport, where they checked whether there had been any Americans landing in Surakarta over the last few days.
"Some of them brought sticks with them but no sharp weapons," a security guard at Quality Hotel, told The Jakarta Post.
"Thank God. They soon understood and left after I told them that no foreigners were staying at the hotel," Aris Supriyadi, a duty manager of Sahid Raya Hotel, told the Post.
The three other hotels that were checked were Novotel, Agas and Lor In.
Before leaving the hotels, they attached posters, which read, "Once Afghanistan is attacked, people from America and its allies have to get out of Solo (Surakarta)".
Afghanistan is believed to be harboring Saudi-born dissident Osama bin Laden, the prime suspect in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington D.C.
The groups consisted of Laskar Santri, Surakarta Front of Islam Defender (FPI), Jundullah Force, Al Islah Force, Hawariyun Force, Hisbullah Brigade, Salamah Force and several other radical Muslim groups based in Surakarta. Some of the groups were thosethat joined a similar search for Americans in the city last year.
Aris Supriyadi from a local hotel expressed concern over the groups' action because it might discourage visitors to the city.
He said that the 'anti-American-sweep' in the city last year had caused the hotel occupancy rate in the city to drop to below 20 percent a day.
"Now we enjoy a much better occupancy rate of over 40 percent a day. We don't want this progress to be damaged by these actions," he said.
Head of the Yogyakarta branch of the Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association, Steffanus B. Indarto, expressed his hope that a similar anti-American drive would not happen in the neighboring city of Yogyakarta.
Such a threat was opposed by representatives of mainstream Muslim groups, who said that nonviolent means, such as peaceful demonstrations, were acceptable to protest at U.S. actions, butforcing U.S. citizens out of the country would be an improper way to treat "guests".
"We don't need to expel U.S. citizens, staging protests would be enough. Indonesia is an open country," said Imam Addaruqutni, chairman of the youth wing of Muhammadiyah, the country's second largest Muslim organization.
"Why should they launch raids? It would be OK to stage peaceful rallies, but not raids," a co-chairman of the Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI), Amidhan, said on Saturday.
Ahmad Rofiq, a Muslim scholar from Sudirman University in Purwokerto, Central Java, also expressed his opposition to the plan.
Citing a verse from the Koran, Rofiq said that God created humans into different tribes so that they could cooperate with each other, not to kill each other.
"There are a lot of Muslim groups who want to be inclusive, avoid sectarianism and are willing to cooperate with followers from other religions," despite the fact that many others resistthe idea, Rofiq said. (44/45/08/09)
All contents copyright © of The Jakarta Post.
Copyright © 1999-2001 - Ambon Berdarah On-Line * http://www.go.to/ambon
HTML pages designed and maintained by Alifuru67 * http://www.oocities.org/baguala67
Send your comments to alifuru67@egroups.com