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REUTERS, Saturday, September 22, 2001

Hundreds of Indonesian Muslims rally against U.S.

JAKARTA, Sept 22 (Reuters) - Several hundred Muslims rallied in cities across Indonesia on Saturday in growing anger at U.S. plans to carry out retaliatory strikes on Afghanistan and for accusing Osama bin Laden of orchestrating the deadly attacks.

The official Antara newsagency reported hundreds of protesters gathered in the port towns of Makassar and Palu on Sulawesi island, calling Americans arrogant and threatening to boycott U.S. goods.

"Buying American or Jewish products means giving them money to make bullets to shoot Muslims," Ajbar Abdul Kadir, a co-ordinator of the rally in Palu, was quoted as saying.

"Muslims all over the world should be united to face the U.S.'s arrogance," he added.

Protesters burnt American flags and chanted anti-U.S. slogans.

Some analysts in Indonesia have said many in the world's largest Muslim country believe the United States has been less than even-handed in its support for Israel in the past year of violence with the Palestinians.

Dozens of Muslim students also rallied in front of the American consulate in Indonesia's second largest city on Saturday, accusing the U.S. of wrongly blaming Saudi-born bin Laden for last week's attacks.

More than 60 riot police moved in to quell the group of around 40 protesters from the Islamic Students Action Association (KAMMI) in the East Java capital of Surabaya, 675 km (420 miles) east of Jakarta.

There were no reports of violence.

"Before sufficient proof is found, America should not accuse Osama and attack Afghanistan," Muhammad Afdal, who co-ordinated the rally, told Reuters.

"(Followers of) Islam are not terrorists," the protesters shouted.

The bomb squad was also called the to scene to investigate a suspicious package, but found no device.

Saturday's rallies are the biggest since the attacks on New York and Washington on September 11.

It is the second anti-U.S. protest to be staged in Surabaya this week and follows warnings by Indonesia's Vice President Hamzah Haz on Friday against growing anti-American sentiment.

It also comes as hardline Islamic groups in Indonesia threaten to launch a holy war against the U.S. if it exacts revenge on Afghanistan.

Washington accuses Afghanistan of protecting bin Laden, the man it believes orchestrated last week's attacks in which more than 6,000 people are believed to have died.

At least one of Indonesia's radical Muslim groups, Laskar Jihad (Holy Warriors), has been linked to some of the most vicious religious fighting in the multi-ethnic country whose tradition of tolerance has been stretched to the limit by more than three years of crisis.

Another group, the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), which has threatened to attack the U.S. embassy and round up American citizens for expulsion, has occasionally attacked night spots in Jakarta with apparent impunity.

But the general feeling among Indonesians over the horrific attacks has been one of sympathy and security forces have downplayed the threats of anti U.S violence.

Copyright © 2001 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.

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