The Indonesian president on Thursday warned that the country was confronting a rising tide of Islamic radicalism, after a spate of hate crimes and bombings.
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said the country's cherished reputation for tolerance and pluralism was under attack by extremists bent on turning the nation into an Islamic state.
The country — praised by US President Barack Obama in November as a "model" of tolerance for the world — has been shaken by bloody assaults on religious minorities and persistent attacks by homegrown terror groups.
"I have witnessed that there has been a radicalization movement in this nation with religious and ideological motives," Yudhoyono said in a speech at a national development conference in Jakarta.
"If we continue to let this happen, it will threaten the character of our nation and our people."
He said radical extremists, who make up a small but very vocal section of Indonesia's 200 million Muslims, were encouraging young Indonesians to "love violence" and reject the law of the diverse country.
"In the long term ... if it continues, it will change the character of our communities which are tolerant and love harmony and peace.
"It must not happen, we should not be passive ... We have to take responsibility to save this nation and save its people and its future."
The president called on religious leaders to help turn the tide of rising religious extremism.
“I want the religious leaders to be involved and to make sure that the religious teachings are on the right track,” he said.
(X the JG)
za 30 apr 2011 - 20:54