Hard-line Muslim group draws 90,000 in Indonesia

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Nearly 90,000 followers of a hard-line Muslim group packed a stadium in the Indonesian capital Sunday, calling for the creation of an Islamic state and thunderously chanting "Allah is great!" Hizbut Tahrir, a Sunni organization with an estimated million members, is banned in some Southeast Asian and Arab countries, but drew supporters from Europe, Africa and the Middle East to Indonesia for a meeting of the group that is held every two years. The organization "is firm and uncompromising toward un-Islamic cultures," said high school teacher Erni Tri, 40, who drove two hours with her husband and three children to attend prayers, music and speeches. "It is driven by love for Allah and has no hidden agenda to get votes or power." The group, though radical, does not support violence to obtain its objective.