Prominent Muslims back Poso crackdown

Muslim leaders have thrown their weight behind the government's recent crackdown on militants in Poso, Central Sulawesi, suspected of fomenting sectarian conflicts in the region.State Islamic University rector and scholar Komaruddin Hidayat said the government should not hold back against militants who mingled with civilians, using them as human shields. "This is the time enforce our laws against those who hijacked Islam and used it to pursue their own agenda. As a result, the image of Islam has been tarnished," Komaruddin told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

Komaruddin was one of several Islamic figures invited Saturday by Vice President Jusuf Kalla to discuss the conflict in Poso. Also invited was the deputy chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama, Rozy Munir, former Muhammadiyah chairman Ahmad Syafii Maarif, Prosperous Justice Party president Tifatul Sembiring, Crescent Star Party chairman and Forestry Minister M.S. Ka'ban, Indonesian Ulema Council chairman Ahmad Midan and the former leader of Laskar Jihad, Ja'far Umar Thalib.

Kalla organized the meeting to obtain consensus among the Muslim leaders on a common approach to the conflicts in Poso. Tensions rose in Poso following a police raid against suspected militants early last week which killed 14 people, including a police officer.

More than 50 suspected militants -- reportedly still armed with automatic weapons -- managed to escape the raid. Komaruddin said the government needed explain to the people that Muslims were not specifically targeted in Poso. Tifatul, however, said that although he supported the need to uphold law and order in Poso, he urged the government to resist using excessive measures against suspected militants. "Things have changed now in Poso, tension has eased. What the government needs to do is maintain calm in the region," he said. The Prosperous Justice Party president also called on police to be less selective in deciding on targets for security operations. "Muslims and Christians alike are involved in this conflict and we have information that some Christians in Poso still have guns in their possession," he said. He also said the government should not label suspected militants as terrorists. "It is as if we support George Bush's war on terrorism," Tifatul said.

Deputy chairman of the House of Representatives Commission III on law and home security Azis Syamsuddin said that police had acted accordingly in their raids against the suspected militants. Azis said that prior to launching the raid, the police had attempted to initiate discussions with the related groups.

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