Sedih sekali saya membaca berita dibawah ini. Sepuluh nyawa melayang untuk
hal yang sia-sia. Mari kita bersujud pada Tuhan memohon ampun atas segala
dosa-dosa kita dan dosa-dosa saudara-saudara kita yang mau termakan issu
pertentangan agama.
Saya percaya, bahasa universal setiap agama, yaitu perdamaian pasti akan
dapat mempersatukan kita. Apalagi dalam suasana Idul Fitri yang penuh rahmat
dan ampunan, seharusnya ini tidak terjadi. Berarti ada yang salah pada kita
dan pemuka agama kita. Mari kita mohon ampun padaNya.
--------------------Martin Manurung---------------------------
E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] & [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Homepage: http://www.cabi.net.id/users/martin
_________________________________________
"If anyone wants to be first,
he must be the very last, and the servant of all"
Ten killed when Muslims and Christians clash in Indonesia
4.04 a.m. ET (904 GMT) January 20, 1999
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) � Christians and Muslims carrying machetes, spears,
and crow bars clashed on a remote Indonesian island in a riot that killed
least 10 people, a news report said today.
Police repeatedly fired warning shots to keep rival gangs apart on Ambon
island, about 1,400 miles northeast of Jakarta.
The violence today and Tuesday was the latest in a series of
religious-related
clashes to hit the sprawling Southeast Asian nation as it grapples with its
worst economic crisis in three decades.
The official Antara news agency said at least 100 people had been badly
injured and more than 30 houses burned. Residents said they could see
several
columns of smoke rising over the main city, also named Ambon.
Local police chief Col. Karyono S.M. said two mosques were set on fire and
dozens of vehicles were damaged during Eid al-Fitr, one of the holiest
feasts
on the Islamic calendar.
The two-day holiday marks the end of Islam's Ramadan fasting month and is
supposed to be a time of peace and reconciliation.
Police earlier confirmed that four people were dead. But Antara said local
residents had located more bodies.
The trouble started Tuesday night when Christians and Muslims clashed at two
villages. The violence later spread to Ambon city and other nearby villages.
Antara reported that rioting started on Ambon after Muslims from Batumerah
village attacked a man from the neighboring Christian-dominated village of
Mardika. They accused him of being drunk and of insulting their Islamic
beliefs.
Sporadic fighting continued today after 400 riot police were deployed. The
island's airport was shut down except for military flights.
In a separate riot in Cirebon, about 120 miles east of Jakarta on the main
island of Java, rival gangs fought each other and threw rocks at police on
Tuesday and today.
There were no reports of serious injuries.
Soaring inflation, unemployment and poverty rates have increased social
tensions in Indonesia.
In recent weeks, President B.J. Habibie � himself a Muslim � has called for
religious tolerance after dozens of churches and mosques were attacked and
set
on fire by members of rival faiths.
About 90 percent of Indonesia's 202 million people are Muslim, making it the
world's most populous Islamic country.
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**Selamat Idul Fitri 1419 H**
Indonesia without violence!
