Protesters attack U.S. Embassy in Jakarta
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) -- Hundreds of Muslim protesters brandishing sticks and hurling stones attacked the U.S. Embassy in Indonesia on Sunday, claiming the United States was on a mission to destroy Islam. No one was injured in the melee.
The protesters were angry at the publication of Prophet Mohammed cartoons in mostly European newspapers, and the rowdy scene showed how America is often blamed for many of the perceived injustices felt in the Islamic world.
The U.S. Embassy condemned the violence, saying it was a "premeditated event" staged for television by a small group that "seeks to disrupt the relationship between the United States and Indonesia."
Like elsewhere in the Islamic world, the cartoons of the prophet have generated anger and protests across Indonesia, which has more Muslims than any other nation. But compared to those in Pakistan and countries in the Middle East, the demonstrations have been peaceful.
Shouting anti-U.S. slogans, about 400 people arrived at the heavily fortified mission in the center of the capital Jakarta, marching behind a banner that read "we are ready to attack the enemies of the Prophet."
They then tried to storm the gates, brandishing wooden staves and lobbing stones. They set fire to U.S. flags and a poster of U.S. President George W. Bush, and smashed the windows of a guard outpost before disbursing after a few minutes.
"They (Western countries) want to destroy Islam through the issue of terrorism ... and all those things are engineered by the United States," said Maksuni, a protest organizer who only uses one name.
"We are fighting America fiercely this time," he said. "And we also are fighting Denmark," where the cartoons, including one showing Muhammad wearing a bomb-shaped turban, first appeared several months ago.
Newspapers that reprinted the caricatures did so asserting their news value and the right to freedom of expression.
On February 6, police fired warning shots to stop protesters from ripping a plaque from the wall of the U.S. consulate in Surabaya, the Indonesia's second largest city. Protesters also briefly stormed the lobby of the high-rise building housing the Danish Embassy in Jakarta.
Most Muslims in Indonesia practice a moderate form of the faith, but fundamentalist thought is gaining a foothold in the country of 220 million, which has been hit by five terrorist attacks since 2000.
The protesters Sunday were members of the Islamic Defenders Front, which campaigns for Islamic law and often takes to the street against perceived violators of Islamic rules at home or abroad.
"This sort of thuggery is unacceptable and needs to be treated as what it is," the U.S. Embassy said in its statement.
Cientos de manifestantes, que protestaban contra la publicación de caricaturas ofensivas a los musulmanes en varios periódicos europeos, lanzaron ataques con piedras, palos y huevos contra la embajada de Estados Unidos en Yakarta, mientras acusaban a ese país de orquestar una guerra contra el Islam bajo la excusa del terrorismo.

Los manifestantes, que llevaban una pancarta con el mensaje “''estamos listos para atacar a los enemigos del profeta''”, trataron de entrar a la fuerza al edificio, rompieron vidrios de las ventanas y quemaron banderas y afiches con la fotografía de George W. Bush antes de ser dispersados por la policía minutos después.

Dos semanas antes (el 6 de febrero), un grupo de manifestantes trató de remover una placa del edificio del consulado estadounidense en la ciudad de Surabaya, el mismo edificio donde se encontraba el consulado danés.