Jakarta, Bandung, Malang, Medan – Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of cities across the country on Friday to denounce Israeli air strikes on Gaza that have killed 425 people in the past six days.
The protesters accused the United States of supporting the attacks, raising strong and renewed anti-American sentiment among Indonesian Muslims.
Muslim scholars and observers have warned of a rise in radicalism and retaliation against Western targets over the air strikes, after the United States and its Western allies failed to condemn them.
The protesters stopped short of slamming Hamas, which Israel and some Western countries accuse of having provoked the attacks.
In the capital, about 100,000 protesters hit the streets in downtown Jakarta. The demonstrators, mobilized by the Islamic-based Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), marched on the US Embassy on Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan, Central Jakarta, from the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle.
"As of today, every Islamic element in the country and the world must stand together to fight Israel and their American allies," PKS president Tifatul Sembiring told the applauding crowd gathered outside the embassy compound.
"I also demand that US president-elect Barack Obama fulfill his slogan, 'Change We Can Believe In'. Obama must not support Israel as the Bush administration does."
The protesters, carrying anti-Israeli and US banners and yelling "Allahu Akbar" (God is great), came from Jakarta and PKS branches in Bandung, Depok, Bekasi, Bogor and Banten.
Fadli Amirulah, 27, came from Bandung, bringing with him some 1,000 protesters to show their support for peace in Gaza and for the Palestinians' struggle against Israel.
He and fellow protesters urged young people to start boycotting US and Western products. "We have data that shows some of the profits made by companies such as McDonald's and Coca-Cola are allocated to the Zionists. We must stop using their products to cut their funding," he said.
In Bandung, hundreds of members of the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) and United Islam (Persis) staged an anti-Israeli rally in the city center, condemning the attacks and burning pictures of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and US President George W. Bush.
Twenty-two Muslims, including four women, have registered with the FPI to fight against Israel in Gaza. "I saw on TV how cruel Israel was. I couldn't stand to watch children being killed. So I joined as a jihadi to prepare to die," said Herlina, 43, a mother of one.
A similar rally was also held in Malang, East Java, involving thousands of members of the PKS, the National Mandate Party (PAN), Muhammadiyah, Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI) and the Indonesian Islamic Youth.
In Medan, North Sumatra, 95 people have volunteered to be sent to Gaza to fight Israel. "We plan to send 100 people to Gaza in the first stage. Now we only need five more people to begin sending people there," said Indra Suheri, the FPI's North Sumatra FPI secretary.
Large protests also took place in Ternate, North Maluku, and Banda Aceh, Aceh province. (hdt)
[Yuli Tri Suwarni, Wahyoe Boediwardhana and Rizal Harahap contributed to this story from Bandung, Malang and Medan, respectively.]