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Mengenai Peristiwa Ambon
Mengenai Peristiwa Ambon
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OPEN LETTER FROM MUSLIMS IN NORTH AMERICA, PARTICULARLY THOSE ASSOCIATED WITH THE INDONESIAN MUSLIM STUDENTS ASSOCIATION (IMSA). Assalamu'alaikum. Peace be upon all of you. We, the Muslims in North America, particularly those associated with the Indonesian Muslim Students Association (IMSA) have followed intimately the events developing in Indonesia over the last year and observe: 1. The escalation of conflict between Christians and Muslims in the Moluccus Islands (Kepulauan Maluku), starting in Ambon and quickly spreading to surrounding areas and up to the Halmahera island several days ago. Not only is the area of conflict expanding, its brutality has also intensified indicated by the number of victims, the types of weapons used, as well as the brutal killing. The Indonesian military and police forces have also participated in these conflicts and aided in killing. 2. Indonesian President Abdurrahman Wahid's statements that the conflict in Moluccus (Maluku) should be resolved by the local community. This is clearly not in accordance with the governments responsibility, elected democratically by the people's representative, to maintain law, order and security of the society. Equally disturbing is the lack of any steps taken by Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri who was given the task of resolving the conflict in Moluccus (Maluku) 3. The Halmahera events transpiring from Sunday, December 26, 1999 through Monday, January 3, 2000 in Halmahera Tengah, Tobelo, specifically in the Togolihua village, ended with over 500 Muslims being killed and Muslim women raped in the streets in that predominantly Christian area. There are now over 25,000 refugees, mostly women and children, from that area to nearby Ternate. 4. There are no signs that these conflicts are subsiding. In fact, symptoms of the conflict and violence spreading even further is observed. We, the Muslims in North America particularly those associated with the Indonesian Muslim Students Association (IMSA) hereby: 1. Condemn the killings, raping and other inhumane aggression by the Christians towards the Muslims and the ethnic Chinese, primarily the innocent women and children of the Moluccus (Maluku) in the bloody events of December 26 1999 through January 3, 2000. 2. Demand that the government of President Abudrrahman Wahid and Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri quickly take firm and just action to resolve the conflict in Moluccus (Maluku) and surrounding areas, as well as anticipate the possibility of its spreading to other regions. The slowness of decision making by the government has clearly contributed to the escalation and spreading of the conflict. We also demand the military and police forces to help resolve the conflict and not worsen it by participating in the conflict. 3. Invite all people, Muslims and non-Muslims alike, in all parts of the world to speak against these violation of human rights. 4. Appeal to Muslims everywhere to help their brothers and sisters in Moluccus (Maluku) with basic humanitarian aid so they can defend themselves against the violence carried out on them. We the Muslims in north America, particularly those associated with IMSA deeply regret these tragedies. We pray that Allah (all praises belong to Him) always give us patience and strength and help open a way out of this conflict. Wassalamu'alaikum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh. January 6, 2000 Urbana, Illinois Andy Azisi Amin President, IMSA Tyas U. Soekarsono Secretary General, IMSA
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