Hans Rustad Verdens største muslimske land, Indonesia, støtter ikke Irans atomplaner, men blant muslimske studenter er Ahmadinejad i ferd med å bli en populær figur, en som tør å stå opp mot USA.
But among many Muslims, he’s fast becoming a model of defiance.
Here and elsewhere in the Muslim world, Ahmadinejad is working to build a reputation as a courageous, hard-line leader unafraid to stand up to the West, speak his mind on Israel — which he has said should be «wiped off the map» — or lecture President Bush on history and religious values.
«Fight America, fight Israel!» a crowd shouted after the Iranian leader offered prayers Friday at the main mosque in Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta.
To a cheering audience Thursday at the University of Indonesia, he called Israel «a tyrannical regime that one day will be destroyed.» Many students held up posters of support. One read » Iran in our Hearts.»
Before about 1,000 students at the Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University on Jakarta’s southern outskirts, he lashed out at the «double standard» of the big powers, eliciting loud applause when he asked, «If nuclear technology is bad, why do they have it?»
Despite the growing pressure on Iran to allow international inspections of its nuclear facilities or possibly face U.N. sanctions, Ahmadinejad was on friendly ground in this country, the world’s most populous Muslim nation.
«I think you are the man of the year,» one student stood to say. «We will always be with you. You will never walk alone,» said another.
Although Indonesia is relatively moderate and maintains generally cordial relations with the West, the Iranian leader’s message resonates with many of its young people.
«He impresses me,» said Riswanto Hidayat, 21, who attended the rally at Islamic University. «He gives a voice to the opposition of Muslims to the arrogance of the United States.» (ap)
