As another deadly attack by Islamic radicals rocked Indonesia on 16th May, dozens of religious leaders, backed by former first lady Sinta Nuriyah Wahid, launched a new anti-terrorism group.
Ucanews.com reported that the People’s Movement for Counter-Terrorism has committed itself to fighting against terror attacks that have “destroyed the values of humanity, spread fear and ruined national unity,” said Sinta, wife of former president Abdurrahman Wahid.
Speaking with ucanews.com, Jesuit Fr Johannes Hariyanto, general secretary of the Indonesian Conference on Religion and Peace and a member of the new group, said any terrorist act cannot be justified.
“We cannot impose something on others by threatening and forcing them to follow what we believe. This is completely wrong,” he said.
During the launch of the group on 15th May in Jakarta, Sinta said: “A series of terror attacks is beyond the limits of humanity. At least 31 people consisting of children, civilians and policemen were killed (in Surabaya). Worse, the perpetrators sacrificed children in the terror attacks.”
Picture: People attend a candlelight vigil on 15th May in support of the victims and victims’ families of the recent attacks at police stations and churches in Jakarta, Indonesia. Dozens of religious leaders, backed by former first lady Sinta Nuriyah Wahid, have launched a new anti-terrorism group. (CNS photo/Willy Kurniawan, Reuters).
