FPI Asks Help to Arab Countries to Send Al-Aqsa Deliverance Committee

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta:Leaders of radical Indonesian Islamic groups declared the setting up of the Al-Aqsa Deliverance Committee on Monday afternoon (8/4), at the office of the Islamic Defense Front (FPI) in Jakarta. The committee is aimed at uniting Islamic people in order to remove Israel from Palestine and the first program to be implemented by the committee is the sending of 100 volunteer troops to the Middle East. “Today (8/4), we are starting to send our proposal to embassies of the Arab countries in Jakarta. We need Rp6.45 billion funds to send the first team consists of 100 volunteer troops,” Reza Pahlevi from FPI told the TEMPO News Room by phone on Monday afternoon. Those present for the Al-Aqsa declaration included Habib Rizieq Shihab the FPI chairman, Jaffar Umar Thalib the leader of the Jihad Force, Eggy Sudjana the chairman of the Indonesian Islamic Workers Association (PPMI), Ahmad Sumargono the chairman of the Crescent Star Party, and Ferry Nur the chairman of Anti-Zionism and Anti-Israel Movement. The committee has called on Islamic people to take a part in the volunteer force and as of Monday, all Islamic organizations that signed the declaration of Al-Aqsa Deliverance Committee will start registering volunteers for Palestine. “We have received 8,000 registration forms with 6,000 of them coming from Jakarta and the surrounding areas,” explained Pahlevi. Pahlevi went on to explain that Rp6.45 in funding is needed to pay for the volunteers’ necessary passports, visa and transportation, and for military training and to buy weapons. (Wahyu Dhyatmika)