A'an Suryana, Jakarta – As the antiwar protests become rowdier, scholars urged the government on Sunday to swiftly move to prevent them turning violent.
Haedar Nashir, the secretary-general of Muhammadiyah, the second largest Muslim organization in the country, called on the government to invite the representatives of the protesters for talks to calm them down.
"Having conducted more talks, it could create a sense that the government has accommodated the protesters' wishes and aspirations," Haedar told The Jakarta Post.
A political analyst from the Surabaya-based Airlangga University, Daniel Sparingga, shared Haedar's view and said dialogue could also be used by the government to convince them that the Iraq war had nothing to do with religion.
"The government must convince people that the US attack on Iraq has nothing to do with religion," Daniel told the Post. "And the government must tell them that any violent protests will not be tolerated."
Thousands of people held antiwar protests across the country over the weekend. However, a protest by militant groups such as the Islam Defenders Front (FPI) forced the closure of a McDonald's restaurant in Surabaya, East Java, on Friday.
On Sunday, FPI protesters burned flags of the US, Britain, Israel and Australia during an antiwar demonstration outside the US Embassy in Central Jakarta.
Many worry that the provocative protests by minority militant groups could turn violent. Once the protests turn violent, Daniel warned, it would further damage Indonesia's image, and foreigners would immediately start to flee Indonesia.
"If that happens, the impact will be severer on Indonesia. Indonesia's image will be ruined in the eyes of the international community. Indonesia's economy will then be hit hard because investors will shy away," he added.
Haedar acknowledged that, and therefore urged people to remain rational whey staging protests. "Antiwar protests are shows of humanitarian solidarity that we should support. But, they should not turn violent. Especially if this were to lead to attacks on foreigners. We must avoid violence as this goes against both humanitarian and religious value, the values that people must continue to adhere to while protesting the US attack on Iraq," Haedar said.