Jakarta (ANTARA News) - The Indonesian Council of Ulema (MUI) condemns Sunday`s suicide bombing attack on the GBIS church in Solo, Central Java, the council`s associate chairman, Amidhan, said.

"We condemn the act of terrorism, the suicide bombing of a church in Solo and are concerned about the fate of the many victims," he said when contacted to comment on the incident here on Tuesday.

Amidhan hoped the incident would not cause panic among religious followers and make Christians afraid to conduct their religious duties because if they became afraid it would send a signal to the terrorists that their action was successful.

"Muslims also must not be afraid to go to mosques although one of the Cirebon terrorist cell members had exploded himself at a mosque at a police station," he said.

He also called on people in various regions not to be provoked by the incident.

"On Monday (Sept 24) morning the MUI East Nusa Tenggara chairman immediately conveyed his stand against the attack and made efforts to maintain inter-faith relations in the region so that they would not be provoked by the incident. The same activity was also done in North Sulawesi. That is good," he said.

Amidhan called on security authorities to immediately investigate the people behind it.

"Security authorities indeed have said that this was an old pattern which was the work of the Cirebon cell. But we hope it could be immediately proven and unveiled so that no suspicion would grow among different religious followers," he said.

He also called on the younger generation to be alert as well as their parents as it was not impossible that they could be recruited to become suicide bombers due to their limited knowledge of their religion.

Amidhan called on all religious followers to increase their faith so that they would not be easily used by certain groups.

He also called on the government to be alert over conditions that could make people to lose hope and resort to suicide bombing such as disparity between the poor and the rich or unequal distribution of assets.

The police have confirmed the suicide bomber at the church in Solo as Pino Damayanto alias Ahmad Yosepa Hayat..(*)

Editor: Aditia Maruli Radja
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