Jakarta, moderate Muslims oppose Hamas branch in Indonesia
Jakarta (AsiaNews) - The leaders of the main Indonesian Muslim movements have distanced themselves from the opinion expressed earlier by the Parliament Speaker, and reject the proposal to open an office of the Palestinian Hamas movement in Jakarta.
Prof. Din Syamsudin, chairman of Muhammadiyah, the second most important moderate Muslim movement in the country points out that the presence of a seat of the Palestinian extremist group in the capital would give rise to a new, never-ending conflict. "We do not feel bound to support this idea," explained the Muslim leader, who is also president of the Forum for the friendship between Indonesia and Palestine, as well as chairman of the Indonesian Council of Ulema (MUI).
Prof. Syamsudin explains that there has long been an authoritative and official representative of Palestine in Indonesian territory, in short the embassy that has been open for over ten years. He adds that in the territories of the West Bank and Gaza, there are two main political factions, Hamas and Fatah, and if "one of the two opens an office" in Jakarta, there is a risk of a "potential diplomatic and institutional conflict".
A position shared by the leaders of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the largest moderate Muslim organization in the country. The charismatic leader Nu Kiai Hajj Solahudin Wahid, younger brother of former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur", says that a possible opening of a Hamas office should first be "discussed" with the Palestinian Embassy in Jakarta.
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