Ulma Haryanto, Jakarta – As the weekend saw protests in different parts of the country against an American church's plan to mark the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks by burning copies of the Koran, pluralism advocates on Sunday called for cooler heads to prevail and violence to be avoided.
The Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Florida, said it will burn the Islamic holy book on the ninth anniversary of the terror attacks.
Local officials have denied a permit for the bonfire on the church's grounds, but the center – which made headlines last year by distributing T-shirts that said "Islam is of the Devil" – insists it will go ahead with the plan.
In Jakarta on Saturday, about 3,000 members of the hard-line Islamic group Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia marched to the US Embassy in Jakarta waving banners and posters condemning the plan.
The group organized similar rallies in five other cities across Indonesia.
In Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi, about 400 members of the local HTI chapter staged a peaceful demonstration against the planned course of action. And in the East Java town of Sumenep, on Madura Island, HTI activists took to the streets on Friday.
Indonesian religious leaders have condemned the plan and called on US authorities to have the bonfire prohibited.
But Syafi'i Anwar, executive director of the International Center for Islam and Pluralism, believed that the people behind 'Burn a Koran Day' were minorities that were only looking for attention.
"Of course, people here can protest or condemn the act, but there would be no need to do anything beyond that," he told the Jakarta Globe on Sunday. He also called on authorities to urge the public to refrain from violence.
"There are groups that will try to provoke people, we don't want this to happen," he said. "All major Christian organizations also condemn this act, so it is important for people to remain cool-headed," he said.
Damien Dematra, a filmmaker and national coordinator for the Movement for Pluralism, said that he has been meeting with various religious organizations to make sure that their followers will refrain from violent acts.
"We have been meeting with organizations such as the MUI [Indonesian Council of Ulemas], Nadhlatul Ulama, and Muhammadiyah, as well as the KWI [Indonesian Council of Bishops] and PGI [Indonesian Communion of Churches]; all agreed that we should condemn the 'Burn a Koran Day' act and to make sure that everybody would stay calm," he said, adding that he also met with the leader of the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), Habib Rizieq.
"He [Rizieq] also urged his followers to not take revenge on Christians. But at the same time he called for jihad, saying that whoever burns the Koran may be killed," Damien said.
[Additional reporting from AP, Antara.]