Extremists=20 Attack Peaceful Demonstrators in Jakarta, Indonesia; A Statement from = Robert L.=20 Salas with Information from Anand Krishna, Anand Ashram Foundation, = Indonesia, a=20 United Nations NGO

Last update: 7:59 a.m. EDT July 23, 2008

JAKARTA, Indonesia, July 23, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ = -- On=20 June 1, at the National Monument in the central district of Jakarta, = Indonesia,=20 an event took place that was little noticed by the world press but could = have=20 major implications for world politics and the international "War on = Terror."=20 During a peaceful rally by dozens of organizations representing people = from=20 various religions in celebration of Pancasila, the Indonesian concept of = embracing all religious beliefs in their society, the crowd was attacked = by a=20 mob of some 200 club-wielding Islamic extremists. As a result of this = attack,=20 dozens of demonstrators were injured, some seriously injured. The = attackers are=20 considered to be members of the Islam Defenders Front (FPI), one of a = growing=20 number of extremist groups who are now resorting to violent means in = their=20 attempt to institute a radical form of Islam in the country to the = exclusion of=20 other religions.

There are some disturbing facts surrounding this = violence. First,=20 the attackers seemed to be allowed to organize themselves with their = weapons in=20 plain view of the police who had been assigned for crowd control. = Second, there=20 were only a few of the attackers who were arrested who are currently = facing=20 prosecution. In addition, two government Ministers have announced their = support=20 for some of the attackers and have called for their immediate release = without=20 further investigation. This stance stems from the fact that there was a = recent=20 joint ministerial decree by the Home Minister, the Minister of Religious = Affairs, and the Attorney General which permits criminal prosecution for = "spreading interpretations and activities which deviate from the = principal=20 teachings of Islam." Apparently, that decree accommodates the use of mob = vigilante violence, as demonstrated by this event.

Understandably, the June 1 incident has come to the = attention and=20 the concern of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom = (USCIRF).=20 The USCIRF is an official U.S. Commission associated with the U.S. State = Department and provides policy recommendations to the President, = Secretary of=20 State and the Congress. On June 11, the USCIRF issued a recommendation = that=20 calls on the U.S. government to urge President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono = to=20 reverse the ministerial decree and prosecute anyone using violence to = intimidate=20 any religious minority in Indonesia.

These recent events have major implications because = Indonesia is a=20 country of nearly 300 million people, most of whom practice the Islamic = faith.=20 It has become a prime target for Islamic extremists. If they were to = gain a=20 strong foothold in Indonesia, as they seem to be attempting, the battle = against=20 such extremists worldwide would become exponentially more difficult. =

For further information, contact: Mr. Anand Krishna at=20 ashram@anandkrishna.org in Indonesia or Mr. Robert Salas at = rsalas@ojai.net in=20 the U.S.

This release was issued through eReleases(TM). For more=20 information, visit http://www.ereleases.com/.

SOURCE Robert L. Salas

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Extremists Attack Peaceful Demonstrators in Jakarta, Indonesia; A = Statement=20 from Robert L. Salas with Information from Anand Krishna, Anand Ashram=20 Foundation, Indonesia, a United Nations NGO -=20 MarketWatch

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