Students in several parts of the country, including Banda Aceh, Makassar and Bandarlampung held rallies protesting against the plan at the weekend.
In Banda Aceh, capital of Aceh province, some 100 students of Syiah Kuala University staged a rally at Simpang Lima roundabout in Banda Aceh on Saturday calling on Muslims to condemn the plan.
Commemorating the Israeli anniversary amounted to celebrating the death of Palestinian Muslims, the rally`s coordinator, Alfajrin, said.
Alfajrin said almost for 63 years the Palestinian people had been living under the pressure of Israeli occupation, adding the Zionist state had robbed the Palestinian people of their sovereignty.
In the Lampung provincial capital of Bandarlampung, scores of students held a rally at the Adipura Monument rejecting the plan. "We firmly reject any form of activities to commemorate the Zionist country`s independence in Indonesia," the rally`s coordinator Busyra Hanif said.
In their two-hour rally, the students distributed leaflets among passers-by, calling on all the people of Bandarlampung to reject the commemoration.
"Israel is a colonial nation that has taken over the Palestinian land. So they do not deserve our respect," Busyra said.
The students asked Muslims all over the country to unite against the plan and not to be easily provoked by rumours aimed at discrediting Islam.
In Makassar, capital of South Sulawesi province, some 100 students who claimed to be members of the Makassar Students Alliance for Palestinian Struggle also staged a rally to reject the plan on Saturday.
"Destroy, destroy, destroy Israel. Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar (God is Great)," the demonstrators said in gesture of refusal of the plan.
Johardin, the rally`s coordinator, said the plan by a handful of people who claimed to be members of the "Pro-Jew Community" had marred the sovereignty of the Unitary Republic of Indonesia (NKRI).
Therefore, he added Indonesia must keep away from the Zionist state considered to be the main axis in intimidating Islam all over the world.
The students said they were opposed to any form of Israel-related activities in Indonesia and urged the UN not to recognize Israel as a state and speed up the formation of an independent Palestinian state.
No less than Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), Indonesia`s largest Islamic organization, is also opposed to the plan asking police not to issue a permit to the organizer of the event that might give rise to chaos.
"Don`t issue a permit for the event. If there is strong reaction it may lead to chaos," NU chairman Said Aqil Siradj said on the sidelines of a get-together between the Constitutional Court and Muslimat Nahdlatul Ulama here on Friday.
Said Aqil said rejecting the commemoration of Israel`s independence did not mean rejecting the Jew. "We must make a distinction between the Jew as a religion and the Zionist establishing Israeli state," he said.
As a religion, he said, the Jew must be respected in the same way as other religions. "But we don`t agree with the Zionist that has established the despotic Israel," he said.
He said the day claimed by Israel as independence day was actually the day of tragedy for Palestine.
Political observer Ahmad Taufan Damanik of North Sumatra University (USU) said on Saturday the government must strongly ban the plan saying the country had already adopted a clear political stand on Israel.
The preamble of the 1945 Constitution firmly stated that Indonesia rejected any form of aggression, he said.
"Our constitution firmly states that any form of aggression must be eliminated. And now there is a plan to commemorate the independence day of a colonial country in Indonesia. In this respect, our government must take firm stand by banning it," he said.
He said the plan would no doubt receive strong resistance from the Indonesian people. Moreover, many Jewish people themselves did not support their country`s independence.
He said he disagreed with a statement that the commemoration of Israel`s independence was part of human rights. "Even many Israeli prominent figures and philosophers do not recognize their country`s independence. Why should we commemorate it on human rights ground which is out of its portion," he said.
He said Malaysia`s independence had never been commemorated in Indonesia. In fact, the neighboring country was a sovereign state and was not a colonial country, he said.
Chairman of the South Sulawesi Provincial Legislative Council (DPRD) Moh Roem, Chief of South Sulawesi Chapter of the National Mandate Party (PAN) Ashabul Kahfi and Chief of the South Sulawesi Chapter of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) Andi Akmal Pasluddin were strongly opposed to the plan.
"The government must be firm because the plan is against the 1945 Constitution which only recognizes five religions," Akmal Pasluddin said.
"Irrespective of whether or not it is unconstitutional, there is public sensitivity that must be taken into account," Moh Roem said.
Information and Communication Minister Tifatul Sembiring advised the event`s organizing committee to abandon the plan, citing the high level of anti-Israel stand in Indonesia.
"I in person consider it unnecessary. I fear it may give rise to chaos and this can serve as a means of provocation, something that is useless because of the high level of anti-Israel stand in Indonesia," he said after delivering general lecture at Dwijendra University in Denpasar, Bali, on Saturday.
The commemoration of Israel`s independence was supposed to take place on Saturday (May 14). However, it was postponed indefinitely because chairman of the organizing committee Unggun Dahana had not secured a permit from the police.
The police have reportedly rejected the application for such a permit as it was against the Foreign Ministry`s directives that the Indonesian government has no diplomatic ties with Israel.(*)
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Reporter: Suharto
Editor: Jafar M Sidik
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
