JAKARTA (AFX) - Thousands of Muslims took to the streets here today and
marched towards the US embassy, denouncing Washington as the enemy of Islam and
calling on Jakarta to embrace Sharia law.
More than 6,000 members of the hardline Hizbut Tahrir rallied to the central
Monas square, opposite the US embassy to protest alleged injustices against
their religion across the world, particularly in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Lingering resentment against controversial cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed,
oil politics and the treatment of Muslims held by US forces helped fuel the
protests which were called by Hizbut Tahrir to mark the anniversary of the fall
of the last caliphate.
Speakers, peppered speeches with shouts of Allahu Akbar, calling on Muslims
of the world to unite and the Indonesian government to shed secularism and
embrace Islamic sharia law.
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