MUHAMMADIYAH CHIEF HAILS OBAMA'S ELECTION

Batam, Nov 5 (ANTARA) - Din Syamsuddin, chief of Indonesia's second largest Islamic organization, Muhammadiyah, on Wednesday hailed Barack Obama's election as US president, saying he hoped it will bring new hope for change.
"Of course, we all, like most US people, are happy with Obama's victory. It will hopefully bring new hope for change, particularly in America's relations with the rest of the world, including the Islamic world," Syammsuddin said.
Under President George W. Bush's leadership, America's relations with other countries had deteriorated, particularly by Bush's arrogance and his double-standard policies in resolving problems involving the Islamic world, he said.
"We hope Obama can change the US stance by adopting a more friendly attitude towards the Islamic world, including Muslims all over the world," he said.
Syamsuddin said the US was now the world's only superpower and the ways in which its president was leading the country always had a great impact on the world community.
He said Obama should apply friendly leadership approaches toward Muslim countries which also wielded great power.
"Both (the US and the Islamic world) can become a positive factor toward improvement in today's crisis-ridden world." he said.