JAKARTA - Leaders of various religions in Indonesia on Friday
urged the United States to call off plans to attack Afghanistan's ruling
Taliban over the devastating terrorist attacks on New York and Washington
earlier this month.
''We ask the U.S. government not to reach a verdict hurriedly about Afghanistan
or Osama bin Laden before there is clear evidence that has been accepted by the
institution of justice,'' the religious leaders said in a statement.
In the statement, the leaders said they support every effort to take action
against all forms of terrorism because terrorism seeks to achieve its aims by
using means that contravene human and religious values.
The statement was signed by Catholic, Protestant, Buddhist, Hindu and Confucian
leaders in the predominantly Muslim country.
The U.S. accuses the Taliban of providing shelter to alleged terrorist bin
Laden, named by Washington as the prime suspect in the devastating Sept. 11
terrorist attacks.
The religious leaders said people in Indonesia should not use the aftermath of
the tragedy to create a situation where it appears there is confrontation
between particular religions.
''We should distinguish between religious sentiment and the terrorist acts that
were perpetrated in the U.S. Terrorism in all forms cannot be tolerated by any
religions or beliefs,'' their statement said.
They pleaded to other religious leaders to handle correctly the extremist
elements within their own religious movements.
Meanwhile, over 3,000 protesters condemning the U.S. and Israel staged a mass
march Friday in Jakarta.
A banner unfurled in front of a statue in the capital said, ''The real
terrorists are Israel and the USA.''
Anti-American sentiment has been on the rise in Indonesia, where 90% of the
country's 210 million population are Muslims, since the U.S. threats to
retaliate for the deadly terrorist attacks on New York's World Trade Center and
the Pentagon outside Washington.
AP-NY-09-28-01 0514EDT
Copyright 2001 The Kyodo News Service.