REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) is afraid that Wednesday's deadly shooting attack on the office of the French magazine, Charlie Hebdo, will harm the Muslims around the world.

"We hope the international community will be fair with this incident and not generalize it as part of Islam. We are afraid that it will lead to an anti Muslim movement," MUI Chairman for International Relations Muhyidin Junaidi said here on Thursday (8/1).

Earlier on Wednesday, three masked gunmen stormed the Paris office of Charlie Hebdo, killing 12 people and injuring ten others before fleeing in a car.

Junaidi remarked that his fear was based on acts of discrimination in numerous countries, such as Germany, Sweden, and Bulgaria with an arson case of a mosque area there.

He said that in France alone, there was a wave of protests against the shooting attack on the office of Charlie Hebdo magazine, that could give a negative image to the Muslims in the country.

In the meantime, the chairman of the House of Representatives' Commission-VIII, Saleh Partaonan Daulay, said in an electronic message here on Thursday that the incident could tarnish the image of Islam.

"The shooting attack is worth condemning because the action deviates far from the teachings and values of Islam," Daulay noted.

Described the attack as a criminal act, the National Mandate Party (PAN) central executive board chairman expressed hope that similar incident would not happen again in the future.

"The followers of all religions certainly promote love and peace, and strongly condemn the shooting attack," Daulay said, adding that it was contrary to the values of humanity and defaming the name of Islam.

He noted that in the Muslim holy book of Qur'an, the acts of violence and killing are extremely unjustified.

"Therefore, the religious communities in Indonesia are expected not to be provoked by the shooting attack in France. In contrast, the incident should be used as a mirror in the context of improving inter-religious tolerance in Indonesia," he said.

Daulay affirmed that Indonesia is a pluralist country with a variety of religions, ethnicity, and customs that grow and thrive in the community.

"Therefore, the differences that exist must be managed properly and used as a force in building the nation of Indonesia," he concluded.

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