The Jakarta Post, June 13, 2006
Hasyim wants action against hard-liners
JAKARTA: The police must take action against hard-line religious groups that use
violence to push their political agendas, Nahdlatul Ulama chairman Hasyim Muzadi
says.
Muzadi, who heads the nation's largest Muslim organization, said the police should
first summon the leaders of the groups and warn them they would face criminal
charges if they or their members took the law into their own hands.
"Only after that should the police take action if more criminal acts occur," he said.
The government recently said it would deal seriously with all groups in the country
that mixed violence and politics.
Top officials, however, refused to name the groups they were targeting.
Two organizations, the Islam Defenders Front and the Betawi Brotherhood Forum, are
known for attacking bars, nightclubs and minority religious groups and for threatening
Muslim liberals. --JP
All contents copyright © of The Jakarta Post.
|
