Indonesian Muslim group says Clinton not welcome
Jakarta - About 100 Indonesian Muslims rallied outside the US embassy in Jakarta Monday to protest a planned visit this week by US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.
The protestors from the conservative Islamic group Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia waved placards denouncing Clinton as a "Zionist agent" in reference to Israel.
"Hillary, you're not welcome here," read a poster held by a woman wearing a white headscarf.
"Hillary is not interested in respectful dialogue with the Muslim world," one protestor said. "She's only interested in defending Israel."
Clinton is scheduled to be in Jakarta Wednesday and Thursday as part of her Asian tour that is to also take her to Japan, China and South Korea.
Clinton's stop in Indonesia would place her in the Muslim world's most populous country on a trip that could foreshadow a visit later this year by US President Barack Obama, who as a child attended school in Jakarta while living with his mother and Indonesian stepfather. (dpa)