Indonesia Can Be Bridge Between Muslim World and Trump Administration: Lawmaker
Jakarta. House of Representatives Commission I lawmaker Sukamta said he deplores the immigration ban issued by US President Donald Trump recently and he urged the Indonesian government to act as a bridge between the Islamic world and the current US government.
Trump's executive order on immigration, issued just a week into his presidency on Jan. 27, caused a massive outcry. The policy seeks to protect the United States from radical Islamic terrorists and puts a temporary ban on immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries in the Middle East and North Africa.
However, the policy has no direct impact on Indonesia.
"I do not criticize the policy to limit [the number of] refugees entering the US, as every nation has the right to do so. What I deplore is the reason, citing the threat of 'radical Islamist terrorists,'" Sukamta said on Tuesday (31/01).
"That sentence tends to put all Muslims in a bad light by attaching the word 'terrorists,' which clearly hurts them," he added.
Sukamta said Trump's executive order may also increase anti-Muslim sentiment in the United States.
He said the new administration should have evaluated reports of an increasing number of incidents of violence against Muslims, which reportedly started during Trump's presidential campaign.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) alleges that there had been various attacks on women wearing the hijab in public areas and the appearance of anti-Muslim graffiti.
Sukamta said Trump's executive order may trigger more such incidents in the United States.
"Not only the Islamic communities who are opposed to this policy, as many world leaders from various countries have deplored Trump's racist statements and policy on immigrants. I hope Trump's administration will be more sensitive on this issue," Sukamta said.
The lawmaker expressed hope that the Indonesian government, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, can act as a bridge between the Islamic world and the Trump administration.
"Relations between the Islamic world and the US during President [Barack] Obama's administration were good, so I think it should be maintained. The Indonesian government will be able to play a strategic role as communicator between the Islamic world and the Trump administration," he said.
Sukamta said good relations between the United States and the Islamic world will improve the global political climate and help resolve ongoing conflicts, especially in the Middle East.
Trump's executive order indefinitely bans Syrian refugees from entering the United States, while it suspends the admissions of refugees for 120 days and blocks citizens of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen from entering the country for 90 days.
The move is not unprecedented, as former President Obama imposed a similar restriction in 2011 after it was discovered that two Iraqi refugees living in Kentucky had been involved in roadside bomb attacks on US troops in Iraq. Former US President Jimmy Carter also ordered the cancelation of visas held by Iranian citizens in 1980.
However, the ban caused chaos in the immigration system and at airports in the United States and overseas, which also prompted protests and legal action. Protest rallies were held over the weekend against the immigration policy in several major US cities, including Washington, Boston and New York.
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