AUSTRALIA PRAISES NU AND MUHAMMADIYAH FOR PROMOTING MESSAGES OF MODERATE MOSLEMS

            Canberra – The Australian Foreign Minister, Alexander Downer, refused to have a dialogue with terrorists, but praised what the Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah Moslem organizations have done in promoting the messages of moderate Moslems.

            In Indonesia, moderate Moslems have done good work, he said, as reported by Antara in Canberra on Friday (28/07).

            Minister Downer made the statement in a special interview with Amanda Blair of Adelaide Radio 5AA on Thursday in response to the role of moderate Moslems in Indonesia in minimizing the existence of hardline organizations.

He said that two big Islamic organizations in Indonesia have succeeded in promoting the message of moderate Moslems and in belittling Islamic extremist groups like the Jemaah Islamiyah and the Indonesian Mujaheddin Council (MMI). 

            In Indonesia, moderate Moslems have done good work. Hence moderate Moslems in Australia and in other western countries should stand up and speak to convey moderate messages not only in mosques, but also at schools and in the mass media. Just tell the world what moderate Islam is, he said.

            To that end, the Australian government is trying to establish a Center of Islamic Studies with its headquarters in Melbourne and holding inter-faith dialogues.

            Touching on a dialogue with terrorists, Downer said it was impossible to provide room for a dialogue with people who wished to destroy and in the long run change America, Western Europe and Australia into Moslem fundamentalist countries.

            What they want to do is destroy the moderate and secular governments in the Islamic world like Indonesia. Basically, the terrorists wish to destroy and kill people to support their goals. Nothing can be gained from any kind of negotiations with them," Donwer said.