Islamists decry Obama’s Indonesia visit
Students of US President elect Barack Obama’s old primary school react as their teacher announce the winning of Obama in Jakarta on November 5, 2008.
Conventional wisdom says most Indonesians dig Obama.
So does this poll, which suggests Indonesia is the only Muslim-majority nation where he's liked by the majority.
But anger towards Obama (who spent several childhood years in Indonesia) has managed to draw thousands to anti-Obama rallies in Jakarta and other Indonesian cities, according to AFP and other agencies. The U.S. president will soon attend an Association of Southeast Nations summit on Indonesia's island of Bali.
Among the protest organizers is Hizbut Tahrir, a group struggling to establish a global Islamic caliphate. What's their beef with Obama?
According to AFP, a Hizbut Tahrir spokesman insists that:
“Obama is a murderer of our Muslim brothers in Palestine and Afghanistan, a thief of Indonesia’s natural resources, and an imperialist who seeks to take over the world and will do anything for US interests."
Obama the world conquerer will arrive in Indonesia on Nov. 18.