Jakarta, March 17 (ANTARA) - Next week's planned visit to Indonesia of United States President Barack Obama has in the past few weeks sparked pros and cons.
Those rejecting it said Obama is no different from warmonger George W Bush who has a predisposition for colonizing other nations and dominating other countries' economies.
Despite opposition from conservatives, however, Obama, who once spent several years of elementary school in Jakarta, is largely welcomed by the predominantly moderate Muslims in a country of more than 230 million.
Until Tuesday, rallies still took place in certain regions in Indonesia to protest the upcoming visit of the United State president, such as those organized in West Java and
South Kalimantan.
Tens of students in Purwakarta district, West Java, took to the streets to protest the visit. "Obama is the leader of a country with a predisposition for colonizing other nations. That's why we are opposed to his visit to Indonesia," Supriadi, one of the demonstrators, said.
The US was one of the countries oppressing a number of Muslim countries, such as Iraq and Afghanistan. Therefore, Obama did not deserve a welcome. "The US leader is the real terrorist so we must reject his visit," he said.
In Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, a number of people took to the streets rejecting the visit. The demonstrators from various colleges went to the South Kalimantan legislative council (DPRD) building to express their rejection. They said Obama was no different from George W. Bush, both are warmongers, no policy of Bush had been changed by the current US president.
Besides, Obama did not deserve a welcome in Indonesia, especially that his visit would foster the economic domination and secular capitalistic system which had caused problems in Indonesia.
In the meantime, conservative Islamic organization Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI) said on Tuesday that it rejected Obama's visit, claiming it was aimed only at boosting America's economic interests in Indonesia.
HTI spokesman Muhamad Ismail Yusanto said the US enjoyed Indonesia's abundant natural resources, with many US oil and mining companies operating in the country. The fact that Obama lived in Jakarta as a child did not warrant special treatment, he added.
Recently, some 750 clerics (ulamas) of the HTI in East Java also expressed opposition to the US leader's planned tour four three days in Indonesia on March 23-25, 2010.
"We reject Obama's plan to come to Indonesia since he is the head of a country which has been fighting Muslims in Iraq, Afghanistan, Palestine and Pakistan," local HTI chairman, Muhammad Abu Syifa, said.
Abu Syifa said the US is a colonizer country. Accepting Obama in Indonesia would give the US a chance to put its claws in the country, he added. He said that Obama did not have the intention to change his predecessor's policy on Iraq. In fact, Obama wants to send 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan.
The US leader has never expressed his sympathy to the Palestinians in the Gaza strip who were attacked by Israeli troops last year
Although he is facing rejection by minority conservatives, Obama is welcomed by the country's largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) which claims more than 35 million members, and by the second largest Muhammadiyah which has over 25 million followers.
The NU on Monday called on Muslims across the country not to reject US President Barack Obama's visit. "I hope that Indonesian Muslims will not reject Obama's visit to Indonesia. It (the rejection) is against not only the Islamic but also international diplomacy ethics," NU chairman KH Hasyim Muzadi.
No Islamic teaching allowed its adherents to reject a guest, he said. "The Prophet (Muhammad) himself also had 'diplomatic ties' with adherents of other faiths including Jews," he said explaining that Obama had shown good intention to improve the US ties with the Islamic world.
"In the US, the president is definitely the supreme executive authority. But as a democratic state, the US considers the president as not being everything," he said.
The Muhammadiyah leader also concurred Muzadi's call.
"We can hold a dialogue during the visit. I believe with a dialogue he could develop better relationship especially with the Islamic world," Din Sjamsuddin, the chief of Muhammadiyah, said.
In view of that he said President Obama's visit must not be made a problem nor rejected and the Islamic community in particular must welcome him as a guest.
"According to Islamic teachings welcoming a guest is a good deed. Therefore Obama's arrival must be welcome and accepted like other presidents of other countries," he said.
Din said he believed President Obama with the planned visit wished to meet part of his election campaign namely to build better relationship with the Islamic world.
He deplored the stance of several organizations to reject Obama's visit.
"I hope people would respect and accept the US President. Moreover, Obama also has emotional relationship with Indonesia as he once attended an elementary school in Jakarta," he said. Din said that President Barack Obama's visit to the country later this month is positive because he wants to build better relations with Islam.
Former Muhammadiyah chairman Syafii Maarif said Muslims in Indonesia should make use of Obama's visit to channel the hopes and the agenda of Muslims' struggle to obtain justice for the Muslim world.
"It is only through a dialog and global political cooperation such as with the United States that the interests of the Muslim world can be served," Syafii said.
While in Indonesia, President Obama is scheduled to also meet and hold discussions with leaders of Islamic groups including chief of the Al Mukmin boarding school in Sukoharjo, Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, according to an ANTARA source.
In the meantime, the Maarif Institute is planning to hold a public dialog to give a socio-political welcome to US President Barack Oabama.
The institute's executive director, Fajar Riza Ul Haq, said the public dialog was intended to give a fair judgment and positive welcome to Obama's presence in Indonesia.
(T.A014/A/H-GN/f001)
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