Indonesian Muslim leaders urge not to link terror with Islam

"Resorting to terror was not Islamic. Islam does not adopt that terror behavior. So, the bomb terror such as the bombings of two top hotels in South Jakarta on Friday has no link with Islam," Antara news agency quoted chairman of the Islamic organization Basri Bermanda as saying on Sunday.

    The Marriott hotel and the Ritz-Carlton hotel in southern Jakarta were hit by two explosions on Friday Morning, killing at least nine people and injuring more than 50 others, including some foreigners.

    A similar call was also made by the country's largest Muslim organization, the Nahdhatul Ulama (NU).

    "Terrorism is not a religion and so it is not correct to say Muslims were the mastermind of the bombings," the chairman of NU, Hasyim Muzadi, said.

    Both NU and the second largest Islamic organization Muhammadiyah condemned the barbaric attacks.

   Secretary General of the Islamic Community Forum (FUI) M Alkhaththath also called for all sides not to link the bombings with Islam.

 Tarbiyah Islamiyah Organization chairman Basri Bermanda said that terrorist acts were against Islam but they could be done by quarters using the label of Islam or by non-Muslims who wanted to tarnish the image of Islam. He therefore refused to accept that Islam was identical with the symbol of violence and cruelty. "Islam teaches peace and goodness," he said.

    On the occasion, the organization's central executive board strongly condemned the bombings of the two hotels, saying the attacks could have been done with an intention to create chaos, political and economic instability.

    Even Muslim cleric Abubakar Ba'asyir who was once described as a hardliner, said the perpetrators of the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotel bombings in Jakarta were "enemies of Islam", Kazinform cites Xinhua. See www.chinaview.cn for full version.