Ahlul Bayt News Agency ; Indonesian leaders called on Muslims on Sunday to not be provoked by the action of a few conservative Christian Americans who tore pages from a Koran in a protest outside the White House in Washington.
The incident occurred when six people, including a leading anti-abortion campaigner and the leader of a right-wing conservative party from Indiana, held the protest on the ninth anniversary of 9/11 to denounce what they called the “charade of Islam”.
Malik Madani, the secretary-general of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), the country’s largest Muslim organization, told The Jakarta Post that NU condemned the provocative stunt, describing it as a “despicable act”.“I think such an action is ignoble in the eyes of not only NU members and Muslims in general, but also in those of any civilized human beings,” Malik said.
“It has hurt the heart of Muslims,” he added.
He said Muslims should nevertheless not be provoked because the irresponsible action was done by a small group in the US.
“The incident may incite anger and trigger an uncontrolled reaction from Islamic communities here.
Therefore, I encourage Muslims to keep a cool head when addressing the matter,” Malik said.
He suggested that if Muslims planned to stage a protest against the incident, they should engage in measured, peaceful responses, and avoid violence.
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