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The Associated Press
JAKARTA, Indonesia: Nearly 90,000 followers of a hard-line Muslim group packed a stadium in the Indonesian capital Sunday, calling for the creation of an Islamic state and thunderously chanting "Allah is great!"
Hizbut Tahrir, a Sunni organization with an estimated million members, is banned in some Southeast Asian and Arab countries, but drew supporters from Europe, Africa and the Middle East to Indonesia for a meeting of the group that is held every two years.
Speeches called for the return to the caliphate, or Islamic statehood, across the Muslim world. The crowd, divided into sections for woman and men, roared in support.
High school teacher Erni Tri, 40, drove two hours with her husband and three children to attend prayers, music and speeches.
Hisbut Tahir "is firm and uncompromising toward un-Islamic cultures," she said. "It is driven by love for Allah and has no hidden agenda to get votes or power."
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The group, though radical, does not support violence to obtain its objective.
Speakers from England and Australia, Imran Waheed and Sheikh Ismail al Wahwah, were deported upon arrival in Indonesia, a spokesman said. It was not immediately clear why they were not allowed to attend.
"Those responsible for this are being paranoid," Ismail Yusanto told reporters. "This has hurt our right of freedom of expression."
Though Hizbut Tahrir's rallies are usually peaceful, the U.S. Embassy last week cautioned its citizens against going near the gathering, noting that recent demonstrations in the world's most populous Muslim nation have turned violent.
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