http://www.thejakartapost.com/detaileditorial.asp?fileid=20060222.F02&irec=2
On unlawful sharia It was refreshing and indeed encouraging to read the front page article in The Jakarta Post entitled NU, Muhammadiyah against unlawful use of sharia, which may well ring a few alarm bells up in Aceh province, among other places in Indonesia. Such a clear and encouraging statement as made by Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah will, of course, send positive signals to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) and his government that the vast majority of Muslims support his drive for a peaceful Indonesia under one pluralistic and Pancasila umbrella. Those elements that stubbornly resist and implement bylaws, which are clearly out of step with national interests and the 1945 Constitution should be instructed to immediately annul such legislation. Once people see that there are no loopholes or safe havens where controversial legislation can slide its way into communities, then the better this country will be. It is so easy for people to become paranoid, not only about this particular subject, but also the unwanted and unconstitutional fatwas recently issued by the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), and indeed, the growing Arab influence in Indonesia. But all of these realities carry great dangers and thus need to be strictly controlled, and in some cases eradicated. All these things take time because of the sensitivity of Islam in a world that sees this religion in many lights and also in the darkness. That battered image is in urgent need of repair, and to act quickly and decisively in areas such as controversial fatwas and highly questionable legislation, will most certainly help. DAVID WALLIS Medan, North Sumatra [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] Post message: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe : [EMAIL PROTECTED] List owner : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/