Muhammadiyah Youth Urge Indonesian Governmet to Help Egypt

Jakarta (Antara)- Saleh Partaonan Daulay, the chairman of the Central Board of Muhammadiyah Youth, has urged the Indonesian government to take steps to assist Egyptians following clashes in which 525 civilians died in Egypt. "Islamic countries must unite to respond to the Egyptian crisis. The safety of the Egyptian people must be prioritized. In this point, Indonesia could play a strategic role," Daulay said here on Friday. He added that international diplomatic efforts are needed to help solve the problems in Egypt and members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) should hold an emergency meeting concerning Egypt. The chairman of the youth wing of Muhammadiyah, Indonesia's second largest Muslim organization, also urged the US government to stop providing US1.3 billion in annual aid to the Egyptian military. US aid has strengthened the military's actions against civilians, charged Daulay. "It's not enough for President Barack Obama to only issue a statement denouncing the tragedy. The US must help find the best solution through international diplomacy," he said. Daulay also urged the Egyptian military to release President Morsi and to hold talks with the opposition. "I am sure if Morsi is released his supporters will calm down, and by doing so a conflict between pro-Morsi supporters and the military could be prevented," he added. Meanwhile, Muhammad Syamsi Ali, an Indonesian intellectual in the US, said the Indonesian government should act to help resolve the Egyptian crisis. "Indonesia could take practical steps, which would also be realistic problem solving efforts," according to Syamsi Ali, an imam (leader) at the New York Islamic Center, in an e-mailed message here on Friday. (*)