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Foreign Policy Press Releases	Press release = distributed=20 by PR Newswire

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

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

    There are some disturbing facts surrounding this violence. First, =
the
attackers seemed to be allowed to organize themselves with their weapons =
in
plain view of the police who had been assigned for crowd control. =
Second,
there were only a few of the attackers who were arrested who are =
currently
facing prosecution. In addition, two government Ministers have announced
their support for some of the attackers and have called for their =
immediate
release without further investigation. This stance stems from the fact =
that
there was a recent 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 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 =
the
concern of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom =
(USCIRF).
The USCIRF is an official U.S. Commission associated with the U.S. State
Department and provides policy recommendations to the President, =
Secretary
of State and the Congress. On June 11, the USCIRF issued a =
recommendation
that calls on the U.S. government to urge President Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono to reverse the ministerial decree and prosecute anyone using
violence to intimidate any religious minority in Indonesia.

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

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

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

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