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Pastimes : Jesus -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Douglas V. Fant who wrote (4382)	1/28/2000 11:48:00 PM
From: Douglas V. Fant	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 4775

ckahn, Say a prayer for our Christian brothers and sisters in eastern Indonesia.... Indonesian Muslims call for 'jihad' against Christians Indonesian muslims shout "Jihad!" during a protest in Jakarta January 7, 2000 Web posted at: 2:32 p.m. HKT (0632 GMT) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In this story: Soldiers try to end religious clashes Refugees claim situation out of control Leaders facing pressure to resolve row -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From staff and wire reports JAKARTA, Indonesia (CNN) -- Thousands of Indonesian Muslims marched through Jakarta Thursday chanting "Jihad! Jihad!" (holy war) in a protest against minority Christians, while additional police and troops were sent to try to halt the religious unrest in Ambon. The nearly 5,000 protesters, most wearing traditional white Muslim clothes, slaughtered a goat, smeared the blood on a wooden cross and demanded a holy war against Christians in the Moluccas. They also marched from a mosque in the city's center to the University of Indonesia. MESSAGE BOARD Indonesia and East Timor Religion today For the second consecutive day, Muslim protesters demanded the resignation of Indonesian Vice President Megawati Sukarnoputri -- assigned by President Abdurrahman Wahid to resolve the religious fighting -- over her failure to end the clashes. Most of the protesters said they had decided to demonstrate following reports by local daily Republika which said more than 2,000 Muslims had been massacred in the distant island of Halmahera, on the northern part of the Moluccas. The Indonesian military has dismissed the reports, but said they would investigate the allegations. Soldiers try to end religious clashes Meanwhile, thousands of soldiers fanned out across Ambon, Maluku's provincial capital, and islands in eastern Indonesia in an effort to end the Muslim-Christian violence that has claimed hundreds of lives in recent days. The military has sent in additional troops to Ambon "Because of the increasing violence in recent times ... the concept we are working on is foremost to make sure the law is upheld once again in the Moluccas," Indonesian Cabinet Minister Gen. Wiranto said. Megawati and Wahid visited Ambon last month, where the clashes first erupted last January, and called for peace. But renewed fighting followed their plea. Approximately 400 people were killed during one of the Moluccas' recent outbreaks of fighting. A year of bloodshed across the Moluccas, formerly known as the Spice Islands and located at the eastern end of the multi-ethnic and predominantly Muslim nation, has left more than 1,500 dead. Refugees claim situation out of control Thousands of people fleeing the violence have continued to pour into the North Maluku provincial capital Ternate, about 2,600 kilometers (1,600 miles) east of Jakarta. Many claimed the situation in Halmahera was out of control. The military sent in extra troops to try to quell the violence on Halmahera, Maluku military chief Max Tamaela said, but added he didn't know if the fighting had ended. "We've deployed troops to the outlying islands," Tamaela said. "But it's hard to tell what is really going on." In Ambon, military commander Col. Irwan Kusnadi said his troops were preparing to secure the town for Idul Fitri, the forthcoming Islamic holiday similar to Christmas with gift giving, feasting and family reunions. It begins Saturday. "We've confiscated thousands of illegal weapons in the past couple of days," he said. "We want to make sure the city is safe for the holidays." Leaders face pressure to resolve row Indonesia's government is facing renewed pressure to end the ongoing clashes, considered Indonesia's worst religious conflict in decades. Some groups have suggested international peacekeepers be brought into the region, which Wahid has rejected. Antara, Indonesia's official news agency, reported that the Indonesian parliament was expected to send a letter to Wahid, a Muslim intellectual, asking him to take immediate and serious steps to resolve the problems. The leading Kompas daily also urged action. "Like a burning house, the first step to be taken is to put off the fire, this is what the government, security forces and national police must do ... We all have to stop the conflicts in Moluccas," the paper said in an editorial.