Jakarta – About 500 Muslim protestors rallied in the Indonesian capital to denounce caricatures depicting the Prophet Mohammed, calling the cartoons part of a "war on Islam".
Members of Hizbut Tahrir (Party of Liberation) Indonesia massed in Jakarta's central traffic circle, waving signs that read "Stop propaganda against Islam" and "The cartoons are proof of Western enmity against Islam."
The Muslim group's spokesman Mohammad Ismail Yusanto said the publication of the caricatures, which first appeared in a Danish newspaper and subsequently in other mainly European newspapers, was part of a "war on Islam."
"This is not just an insult against out prophet. Before this, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark has called for opposition to Islam," he told AFP, referring to passages from the queen's official biography published last year.
Muslims regard the cartoons as offensive, as Islamic tradition prohibits any images of the prophet. The caricatures have sparked a wave of protests across the Muslim world that have so far left 13 people dead worldwide.
"Denmark is a small country. They won't have the guts to insult Islam without backing from bigger countries like the United States," said another speaker at the rally, Tengku Iskandar.
"Enemies of Islam won't stay quiet until Islam is destroyed," Iskandar charged, to shouts of "Allahu Akbar" (God is Great) from the crowd. "Their method is provocation. When we are provoked, they say that's the nature of Muslims – troublemakers."
Hizbut Tahrir is an Islamic group that campaigns for the reestablishment of Islamic rule through peaceful means. It has branches in European countries.
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, in an opinion piece published in the International Herald Tribune on Saturday, said "the cartoon crisis serves as a reminder that all hell may break loose in a world of intolerance and ignorance."
"The international community must not come out of the cartoon crisis broken and divided. We need to build more bridges between religions, civilizations and culture," he wrote.
"The best way for Muslims to fight intolerance and ignorance toward Islam is by tirelessly reaching out to non-Muslims and projecting Islam as a peaceful religion," he said.
Denmark has temporarily closed its missions in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, and has warned its nationals to leave the country amid protests staged over the past week.
Security concerns over the safety of Danish nationals prompted the cancellation of a friendly badminton match between Indonesia and Denmark as part of preparations for the Thomas Cup championship.