Religious Meeting in Indonesia Aims to Blunt Radicals

[54anickel]

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=6998448

YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia (Reuters) - Indonesia's president will open an international religious conference in the world's most populous Muslim nation on Monday aimed at sending a message of moderation in the region's battle against violent religious radicalism.

Indonesia itself has been hit in recent years by clashes between Christians and Muslims and by a series of bloody bombings blamed on Jemaah Islamiah, a Southeast Asian militant Islamic group linked to al Qaeda and to planned and actual attacks throughout the region.

The deadliest blasts ripped through nightclubs on the resort island of Bali in October 2002, killing 202 people, mostly foreign tourists.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who took office on October 20, has pledged to make the anti-terror fight a top priority of his five-year term in office.

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[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

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[ayeshahaqqiqa]

3. the problem is

that Islam is not structured like Catholicism. There is no one leader. There are shaykhs and ayatollahs and mullahs, but their influence is over only a relatively small group of people, rather than all of Islam.

[Name removed]

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[ayeshahaqqiqa]

5. Depends on which government you are talking about

Most Islamic countries aren't democracies, I believe, but that doesn't mean that they are repressive. The Sultan of Brunai, I've read, makes sure that everyone has basic necessities and makes sure that everyone is able to make the Hajj at least once in their life. King Abdullah of Jordan is, I believe, not a figurehead but takes an active role in policies of that nation.

As for religious leaders speaking out-I know that there are many who speak out for peace, but, surprisingly, many moderate/progressive Islamic religious leaders don't believe in dabbling in politics. I think they are in a similar boat to many progressive Protestant ministers who aren't into politics but rather into spiritual matters, and haven't spoken out on the religious right.

[AlohaNabors]

6. Who runs Iran?

I have freinds that used to live there and it is horrible.

[kimchi]

7. My husband's family left because the Chinese were treated poorly.

I found documents that show them "giving up their Chinese citizenship" to come to America in the 60's; which is more than strange because they were both born in Indonesia; although their parents were born in China. I assume it was a way to keep track of people through ethnicity.

Indonesia still has a long way to go; but I am very glad to see them working on it. The sooner the terrorism stops the sooner my husband will take me to visit his family. We ain't gettin' any younger.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

2. I hope Sufis are among the participants

Sufis are moderate to liberal, and the ones I know are always wanting to do interfaith conferences with the idea of getting along with other faiths.