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Thailand Muslim Clerics Opposed to U.S. Strategy
JAKARTA, Sept 23 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Thai Muslim leaders from nine southern provinces meeting in Krabi in Thailand yesterday issued a joint statement opposing the United States plan to attack Afghanistan.
In their statement, the leaders said that the U.S. cannot justify punishing innocent people based on the unproven allegation that Osama bin Laden is the prime suspect in last week's terrorist attacks on the U.S.
Kariya Kitjarak, secretary to the Islamic Executive Board, said the leaders agreed that the U.S. should suppress global terrorism, but it should not do so by punishing the Afghan people.
They added that the U.S. should not target even the Taliban government solely on the belief that bin Laden, believed to be in Afghanistan, was behind last week's attacks on the World Trade Center (WTC) and Pentagon.
"We oppose such a war, because massive numbers of innocent Muslims would fall victim to the attack," Kariya said.
The leaders also decided to issue protest letters to foreign media for blaming the attacks on Muslims. They called on the media to stop using the word "Muslims" to refer to the perpetrators.
"We want the media to refrain from using words such as 'Muslim extremists' or 'Muslim terrorists'. These words dishearten all Muslims," he said.
They also decided to issue letters to every embassy in Thailand, urging the countries they represent not to engage in war with Muslim countries.
Malaysian Mujahidin flees to Thailand
Meanwhile, Communications Minister Wan Muhamad Noor Matha, also a member of the National Security Council, said the council would meet tomorrow to discuss unconfirmed reports that about 50
mujahideen (fighters) from Malaysia have fled into Thailand.
He said that while the report was unconfirmed, the government would close the border and enforce strict immigration regulations.
In another related development, about 2,000 people from the Southern provinces in Thailand attended a seminar held in Yala organized by the Muslim Organization Council of Thailand to discuss the planned U.S. attack on Afghanistan.
Council chairman Apinan Buranaong, expressing concern that the planned attack on Afghanistan would turn into a war between Muslims and Christians, said the U.S. action amounts to a declaration of war against Islam. "It might be the crusade of the 21st century," he said.
U.S. President George W. Bush on Friday apologized to the world's estimated one billion Muslims for using the word "crusade", derived from Christian military campaigns that overran Muslims 1,000 years ago, to describe his plans to fight international terrorism.
Charan Maluleen, of Thammasat University's faculty of political science, said the U.S. is stumbling in its effort to persuade other countries to join its attack on Afghanistan. "The U.S. has tried to justify an attack, but it has made Muslim countries feel uneasy about giving their support," he said.
Abdullah Abru, of Prince of Songkla University, said most Thai Muslims support bin Laden and believe his claim that he was not behind last week's attacks. "He has denied any involvement, not only to the world, but to Allah," he said.
Thai Muslims have also called on the Thailand government to refrain from allowing the country to be used by U.S. forces in waging war against Afghanistan.
The call is part of a three-point resolution adopted at a meeting of the Central Islamic Committee attended by 120 provincial Muslim leaders in Nakhon Si Thammarat on Friday.
"The Islamic committee resolved to propose to the government that it refrain from allowing Thai territory to be used as a military springboard to destroy other countries, sending troops and military hardware to participate in any unjust war and supporting any international resolution which is not based on fairness," said Kriya Kitjarak, deputy secretary-general of the committee.
"All Muslims feel sorry for what happened. But we will also feel the pain if our fellow Muslims are suffering," he said, adding the prayers for peace would be held in the next few days.
$20,000 to fight for Taliban
The Defense Ministry of Thailand has warned Thai Muslims against falling victim to two websites that are recruiting Muslims to fight a war with the United States.
A ministry source said the websites, based in Germany, promised to pay $20,000 a month to any Muslim who helped Afghanistan's ruling Taliban fight against the U.S.
Those interested were asked to travel to Karachi in Pakistan where they would discuss strategies before moving into Afghanistan this week.
News about the recruitment spread like wildfire, the source said, adding a number of Muslims in the south and Bangkok, including some Ramkhamhaeng University students, had already left for Karachi.
He said the ministry was worried for their safety since even Afghan people were fleeing their country.
Defense Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh is to visit Muslims in Satun, Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat October 4-5 to discuss the matter.
With additional reporting by Kazi Mahmood
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