NU Condems ISIS

Jakarta, Feb 20 (Antara) - Indonesia's largest Islamic organization, Nadhlatul Ulama (NU), has strongly condemned the killings of 21 Egyptian Christians in Libya and other actions carried out by ISIS. The associate chairman of the NU's Executive Board (PBNU), KH Maksum Machfoedz, said in a written statement received here on Friday that ISIS has disregarded all humanitarian values and has committed the cruelest crimes on Shiites, Sunnis, Christians, Turkmen, Shabaks or Yazidis. He described their actions as genocide and stressed they must be accounted for before the international court of justice. He noted that the execution of Japanese citizen Haruna Jukawa, the arrest of Japanese journalist Kenji Goto, and the killing of Jordanian pilot Maaz al Kassasbeh were all brutal acts by ISIS. Condemning ISIS's actions, PBNU called on the Indonesian government to join in the fight against the radical group. It also appealed to religious figures, youth, and mass organizations' leaders to prevent ISIS from entering Indonesia. He expressed hope that Indonesia would become the leading country to reject ISIS. He also said he believed the government will closely watch ISIS's efforts to find new recruits from Indonesia. NU will help the government in its efforts to stop that from happening, he added. He emphasized that NU must lead in developing a civilized Islam with good character and culture.