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'Don't join any protest'
Indonesian Muslim group blasts Obama demos.
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Group protests Obama visit (0:53)
Thousands of demonstrators from radical Muslim group Hizbut Tahrir, which aims to establish an Islamic caliphate, rallied against Mr Obama on Sunday, tearing US flags and calling America a terrorist state. -- PHOTO: AP
JAKARTA - INDONESIA'S largest Islamic organisation on Monday condemned protests by hardline groups against US President Barack Obama's planned visit to the mainly Muslim country.
Nahdlatul Ulama deputy chairman Maskuri Abdillah said the visit would strengthen frayed ties between the United States and the Muslim world.
'We call on all Muslims in Indonesia not to join any protest rejecting the visit of President Obama to Indonesia,' he told AFP. 'This call has been made following our concerns about a number of protests by some Muslim groups who stand against the visit. We must welcome Mr Obama as his visit will be positive in terms of the US relationship with the Muslim world.'
Thousands of demonstrators from radical Muslim group Hizbut Tahrir, which aims to establish an Islamic caliphate, rallied against Mr Obama on Sunday, tearing US flags and calling America a terrorist state. Such groups have little support in Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority country where Mr Obama lived for four years as a child.
He is scheduled to leave the United States on March 21 for the trip, which will include stops in Guam and Australia.
The visit is expected to build on a speech Obama gave last year in Cairo, in which he promised to mend fences with the Islamic world after years of discord under the previous administration of George W. Bush. 'Mr Obama has a different personality to his predecessor George Bush. Mr Obama has the political will to improve US ties with the Muslim world,' Mr Abdillah said. -- AFP


MY VIEWS:

Being an American president under the previous administration of George W. Bush, Mr Obama has to deal with a lot of nuisances which were remained by Mr Bush’s disapproving political career and one of the troublesome problems is the stiff relationship with Muslim world.

I am agree with Nahdlatul Ulama deputy chairman Maskuri Abdillah’s opinion. It’s important to hold a friendly and welcome attitude to the new American president because a steady and healthy relationship between two countries should not be found by a single member as it is the effort by both of their cooperation.

Besides, there are also many advantages would have been taken if the citizens in Indonesia could stop protesting the visit and remain silent. As a result, Indonesia government would earn many profits from America if they would connect cooperation in military and economy because the truth is that America is the strongest nation around the world nowadays.

I believe the clever government there will soon take actions to stop the protest activities and protect the visit of American supreme power.