Al-Jazeera Accuses Indonesian Jews of "Supporting the Israeli Aggression on Gaza"
Accusations like these are sometimes all it takes for non-Muslim minorities in Muslim countries to become the target of harassment and violent attacks.
About 200 Jewish families have spread to the areas of Manadu and Manhasa in the Sulawesi Peninsula in the middle of the Indonesian archipelago, and have named themselves "the Congregation of Indonesian Jews." "They are among the Jewish religious extremists who previously went out in marches supporting the Israeli aggression on Gaza two years ago," according to Arta Wijaya, researcher of Zionist affairs in Indonesia.
He added in recent comments to alJazeera.net that, "These Jews have constructed a tower for a menorah in Manadu, which is considered the largest in the world. They chose this region because the majority of its residents are Christians who support Israel."
Regarding their actions rendered in service to Israel, Wijaya says, "They are trying to open up diplomatic relations with the Indonesian authorities, on the basis of spurring investment for the Jews in the country, and to build networks of workers to support Israel. They are also winning over some of the authorities, who are calling for Israelis to come [to Indonesia] for tourism, to teach Judaism, and for trade, even though Indonesia does not have diplomatic relations with Israel, and does not permit Israeli passport holders to enter their land." [...]Mahmoud al-'Adam, Jakarta, alJazeera.net, January 17, 2011
