This just in from modern, moderate Indonesia, where some people think beheading teenage girls is an act of Muslim charity.
From Reuters, :
JAKARTA (Reuters) – President Bush is not welcome to visit Jakarta later this month because his policies have hurt Muslims, a body representing Islamic clerics in Indonesia says.
Bush will visit Indonesia, the world’s most populous Islamic nation, on November 20 on a brief stopover after attending the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Vietnam.
“We are aware of the tradition that guests should be honored and welcomed, but we would prefer if the government did not invite people who have hurt Muslims around the world,” Ma’ruf Amin, deputy chairman of the Indonesian Council of Ulemas (MUI), was quoted on Thursday as saying by the state Antara news agency.
“The resentment is natural, given Bush’s actions, such as the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan and his support for Israel which has killed Palestinians and Lebanese.”
Ma’ruf Amin is right. Let’s have apologies all around. Ma’ruf Amin can apologize for the Islamic jihad against Israel, for the 9/11 attack that led to the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, and for all the jihad atrocities throughout history, one by one. By the time he’s through, Bush’s visit to Indonesia will be ancient history.