Jakarta – Representatives of all major religions in Indonesia joined hands Saturday to condemn the publication of cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad. Their united front comes amid concerns that some forces are using the row to set off a wider conflict between Muslims and Christians.
Muslim, Protestant, Roman Catholic, Hindu, Buddhist and Confucian leaders and scholars discussed the issue and arrived at a common stance to send a clear message that the cartoon row should not become a global religious conflict.
"We strongly condemn the publication of the cartoons by Jylland-Posten of Denmark and the subsequent reprinting in some European press," Din Syamsuddin of Muhammadiyah, who initiated the gathering, told a press conference.
"Whether their publication was the result of ignorance about religious sensitivity or was intended to insult Islam, it has disrupted the peaceful and harmonious relations between religions in the world."
Representatives of the foreign media in Jakarta were invited to the dialog to talk about press ethics but none turned up. There was no explanation for their absence.
"We support the free press and we want to uphold freedom of expression, but this freedom should not be used to violate the sensitivity of any religion," said the leader of the country's second largest Muslim organization.
Reactions to the cartoons in Indonesia, which has the world's largest Muslim population, have been strong but not as violent as those in Pakistan and some Middle Eastern countries. There were attempts to attack the Danish Embassy in Jakarta, and the consulate office of the United States in Surabaya, as well as Sunday's unruly demonstration at the US Embassy in Jakarta, but police were largely able to restore order.
Copenhagen, nevertheless, recalled all of its diplomats from Indonesia, citing security concerns.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has condemned the publication of the cartoons but also noted the expressions of regret by the newspaper and the Danish government.
Azyumardi Azra, rector of Jakarta State Islamic University (UIN), and one of the participants in the discussion, warned of some attempts to turn the row into a conflict between Muslims and Christians, as depicted in the European media.
He noted that the burning of the Danish flag by protesters in many Muslim countries had been depicted in Europe as an attack against symbols of Christianity because the flag bears a white cross.
The cartoons, he said, were part of an atheistic and anticlerical movement in Europe, which had in the past targeted Christian symbols.
"This is not a religious conflict," Azyumardi said, adding: "We in Indonesia have to watch this closely. We have to continue to work to build greater understanding between people of different religions."
Din also cautioned against excessive reactions by Muslims in Indonesia, which he said would only play into the hands of those concocting a global religious war. "This would not only threaten religious life in this country, it would threaten the nation," he said, underscoring the multireligious and multicultural makeup of Indonesia.
During the discussion, some of the participants called for a stronger response, including a boycott of Danish products and the severing of diplomatic ties with Denmark, but most participants were in favor of more measured reactions that would not hurt Indonesia's interests.
The common position announced at the end of the dialog will be presented to representatives of the United Nations and the European Union in Jakarta.
The forum also endorsed Din's plan to organize an international intermedia dialog, bringing editors from Europe, Indonesia as well as representatives of major religions to discuss media ethics and religious sensitivities.