Indonesian Muslim Group Fears Violence

J A K A R T A, Dec. 26 -- Indonesia’s leading Muslimgroup, fearing revenge attacks after a wave of Christmas Evechurch bombings that killed at least 13 people, on Tuesdayordered members to tone down end-of-fasting celebrations.

About 17,000 extra security personnel will be on thestreets after the government warned there could be more attacksagainst churches following Sunday’s bombings in Jakarta andseveral other cities around the country.

The attacks have been described by President AbdurrahmanWahid as an effort to destabilize his already shaky government.

The Muslim fasting month of Ramadan officially ends onTuesday night, an event that normally sees millions of peoplepour into the streets, chanting the name of Allah, setting offfireworks and praying at mosques through the night.

Mosques and fields are packed, especially for the formalEid al-Fitr prayes on Wednesday and Thursday.

“Looking at the political situation which has grown moreunpredictable than ever, we urge our members not to go out atnight on the eve of the Eid al-Fitr,” Ali Maschan Musa, asenior official with the Nahdlatul Ulama, which claims morethan 40 million members, told Reuters.

He said Muslims should restrict their end of Ramadancelebrations today to visiting the mosque.

Ninety Percent of Country Muslim

A senior official of the second largest Muslimorganisation, Muhammadiyah, said there had been an attempt tobring the Christian-Muslim war in the spice islands, orMoluccas, to the main island of Java, home to the capital,Jakarta, and almost 40 percent of Indonesians.

“We see that there had been attempts to pit one religionagainst another—they want to create a second Moluccas,” saidMohammad Fasich, head of the group’s East Java chapter.Muhammadiyah claims 30 million followers.

The close timings of so many blasts outside churches inJakarta and other cities on Sunday points to a coordinatedcampaign of terror.