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TechnoratiIndonesian Muslim group opposes Obama visit
Thousands of Indonesian Muslims demonstrated on Sunday against US President Barack Obama’s planned visit to their country.
About 2,000 protesters from the hardline Muslim group Hizbut Tahrir, which aims to establish a Muslim caliphate, shouted "Islam united will not be defeated! Reject Obama!" and tore printouts of the American flag in Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi province.
In Solo, in central Java, 500 Hizbut Tahrir supporters carried posters saying “Expel Obama, leader of coloniser!” and “America, the real terrorist!”.
Organisers declared that the fact that Obama lived in Indonesia as a child is no reason not to oppose him, although he is generally popular in the country.
The trip, which also includes stops in Guam and Australia, was postponed because of Obama’s problems in pushing through healthcare reform at home. He is now scheduled to leave the United States on 21 March.
Obama will seek to use his visit to Indonesia to build on a speech he gave last year to the Islamic world from Cairo urging improved ties with the US, White House spokesperson Robert Gibbs said last week.
Comments (4)
The smallest is always the loudest
Hizbut Tahrir is just a small but noisy fundamentalist group. They are nuts. The rest of us are preparing to give a warm welcome to Obama. It's the price of democracy. Crazy people have the right to protest too. If they were members of Muhammadiyah or Nahdatul Ulama, then Obama should be worried, because most of us do belong to them. So let those people scream whatever, because they're not going to get their Muslim caliphate. Most of us choose to use our voice at the ballots. In Indonesia's 65 year existence as a nation, secular parties always win.
Demonstrations against Obama
How quickly people forget all the aid the USA sent to Indonesia in the wake of the tsunami.
I am ashamed for my Muslim brothers.
Perhaps it is true
Maybe America is the real terrorist. However, this is not Obama's fault if anything he is trying to change the country to something beautiful. If you look at what he is doing with the healthcare reform and the education reform that is a thing of beauty. I think Bush Jr. severely decimated our reputation in the eyes of other countries. This is because he is a money hungry capitalistic supremacist. Who I think actually created 9/11 in order to further manipulate the American structure. As you can see even after his presidency we are left with a stream of mercernaries running around protesting or killing people (Malik Hassan, David Bedell) because of our governmental structure. At least some good will come out of this protest in Indonesia though. All the racists who were saying that Obama is a terrorist can now dismiss their theories because there are countries with terrorist cells in them that do not want him there..Get a clue guys....
Kode Red
Well said! I wish all these Obama haters would wake up. How could he possibly be responsible for our current situation. Consider someone getting a job, then one month later.. business is at a stand still and you are responsible for the company filing bankruptcy? Honestly, what he is doing now will better structure America for the future. As for giving aid to Indonesia for the tsunami... Tsk Tsk.. Reality is.. We are usually the first to respond and help other countries in need. Even when our economy sucks and we have needs going unmet in our own country. People always remember the bad things you do, but forget the good. Criticism is hard, and you can't make everyone happy. Keep your head up and help others in need no matter what....the sun always comes up the next day. :)
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