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NAM Round Table
The NAM Round Table consists of news, insights, visions, ramblings and rants from the writers at New America Media.
[ filed under: asia spirituality ] “Expect more Islamist terror in Indonesia” By Bramantyo Prijosusilo in Ngawi, East Java, Indonesia. Indonesia is not only failing to protect minorities from the violence of militant Islamism, its government is actively supporting intimidation against the tiny Ahmadiyah sect. Early this month the government bowed to demands from hardliner Islamist groups like the Islam Defenders Front (FPI), who urge their followers to kill Ahmadiyah believers, and issued a joint ministerial decree, warning the Ahmadiyah faithful to stop activities or face prosecution. The Ahmadiyah has been systematically demonized since 1980, when the Indonesian Council of Ulama (MUI) declared them heretical and deviant. The politics of demonizing is part of the movement for the establishment of Sharia Law. For some organizations like the trans-national Hizbut Tahrir (HT), Sharia Law in Indonesia is a stepping-stone towards the establishment of a global Caliphate. Sharia Law propagandists believe that the Islamist parties will set the stage for Sharia Law by playing the democracy game, “To later let the HT take over, like marines take a beach for the infantry”, writes Didi Turmudzi, a lecturer of philosophy and HT sympathizer in Bandung. The struggle for the enforcement of Sharia Law unite organizations like the Islam’s Ummah Forum (FUI), the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI), the Indonesian Council of Mujahidin (MMI), the Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI) , and the Qur’an Exegesis Council (MTA) to name a few of the more popular Islamist organisations that operate openly here. More sinisterly, the utopia of Sharia Law also bonds these groups in a brotherly union with more shadowy groups like the terrorist organizations Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) and Al Qaeda. People are often members of several Islamist organizations at the same time. Abu Bakar Ba’asyir, the alleged spiritual leader of the shadowy JI, is the head of the open MMI. Muhammad Al Khathath, Secretary of FUI, is also a member of the Central Leadership Council of HTI and a figure in the MUI. The avowed enemies of the Indonesian Islamist groups are America, the UK, and their allies. Their ideological foes are democracy, socialism, secularism, pluralism, and liberalism. They describe the lifestyles they are waging a jihad against as consumerism, free sex and homosexuality, the consumption of drugs and alcohol, satanic music, pornography, and the threat of Norwegian nudism. The traditionalist Muslims and the Liberal Muslims are the only Islamic groups openly against the establishment of Sharia Law in Indonesia. However, the lack of militancy amongst the traditionalist Muslims means the hardliner Islamists are always outflanking them. The Liberal Islam Network’s (JIL) dependence on American funds severely discredits its efforts. JIL is widely perceived as a Zionist project designed to destroy Islam from within. JIL’s spiritual leader the young scholar Ulil Abshar Abdalla has a death fatwa on his head. Habib Rizieq Shihab, the head of the thuggish FPI currently in police custody, has a queue of visitors showing him support, including a cabinet minister, politicians, parliamentarians, celebrities, and fellow Islamist scholars. The most wanted South East Asian terrorist at large, the Malaysian, Noordin Muhammad Top has eluded arrest for years and is probably hiding in Java. Several cabinet ministers openly support events organised by HT. These facts demonstrate the level of sympathy and support the Islamists enjoy. Political Islamism has supporters in every level of society. Under autonomy laws, some regions have introduced and enforced misogynist Sharia based regional regulations. The fact that the government has effectively sided with the Islamists and banned the Ahmadiyah even though that is contrary to the country’s Constitution exposes just how far upstairs the extreme ideas of anti-democratic Islamism have reached. Islamists have glossy magazines that glorify suicide bombings and Al Qaeda while offering a range of books and graphic videos for sale. The MMI publish their magazine Risalah Mujahidin in which Osama Bin Laden writes a jihad advisory column. Books written by people such Bin Laden and Imam Samudra who masterminded the 2002 attacks on Bali, and also by less famous characters, such as a wife of a convicted terrorist on death row, are best sellers that are sold out within days of being published. Lately hardliner Islamism has influenced the usually moderate organisations like NU and Muhammadiyah. Leaders from both organizations have uncharacteristically voiced bigoted opinions concerning Ahmadiyah. In May and early June, daring robberies netted well over 100 kilograms of gold from four jewellers in the cities of Solo, Surabaya, and Semarang. The organisation and the sheer brutality of the robberies are reminiscent of the 2002 jeweller robberies by the Bali bombers, staged to finance their terror operations. The Indonesian police apparently have a similar hunch for the anti-terror Special Detachment 88 is investigating. It is obvious that terrorism, be it the open vigilantism of the FPI or the clandestine bombings of the JI, is part of the struggle to enforce Sharia Law. As both types of terrorists (the vigilante thugs and the clandestine bombers) seem to be gaining strength and momentum, Indonesia must brace itself for more attacks in the near future. If terrorist groups committed the gold robberies, it means that they are preparing to launch their biggest attack yet. related articles comments |
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I read Bramantyo’s article with interest. Indeed I agree that we should be aware of the movement of any kind of terrorisms and the terrorists, not only in Indonesia but all over the world, including in the United States. But Bramantyo seems to be so desperate to tell the readers about Indonesia that even the readers will not believe him.
In his article, I found many baseless flaws. For example, if such daring robbery happened in the United States, could we say that it was solely the act of the US Islamic terrorists?. For sure the governments (Indonesia and the US) are not stupid, they learned from their past experiences.
Other thing, could Bramantyo suggest us how many Indonesian Moslems are with the FPI, FUI, MMI, or HT? I dare to say that the number is indeed very tiny compare to 200 million moderate Indonesian Moslems. The Sharia law endorsed in Aceh Province (with 99.9% Moslems inhabitants), for example, could not be implemented in the area since most of the Acehness are reluctant to follow it.
Next time, let us not be fooled by such kind of baseless point of views.
By Pribadi Sutiono · Posted on Jul 1, 09:16 PMPak Pribadi, you must be aware that just this week the POLRI’s Detasemen88 (Indonesian Police anti Terror Squad) foiled the plans of a terror group in Palembang, South Sumatra, and found at least one plot to blow up a cafe in Bukittinggi, West Sumatra. The group had already conducted reconnaissance, taken bombs there, but decided not to do it.
I did not say that in my above article that the gold robberies were definitely the act of terror groups, rather I said they remind one of the Imam Samudra (Bali Bomber) group who made similar robberies (but got less gold) to fund their acts.
Terrorists are still actively recruiting in Indonesia, underground and rather blatantly too, as you must know from the way that certain groups glorify international and local terrorists.
I hope the robberies were not done by terrorists, but if they were, that is a lot of gold to fund attacks.
My hunch is that when the Bali Bombers are faced to the firing squad (probably soon) there will be an attack, as the bombers themselves have said.
The recent arrests prove that there were attacks planned, and the bombs the police confiscated were capable of an explosion bigger than the 2002 October attacks on Bali.
I believe that this is the tip of an iceberg. Of course most Indonesians don’t support terror, and the percentage of those who do is very small, even amongst the hardliners. However, it only takes a few people to conduct a big attack.
Warm regards,
By Bramantyo Prijosusilo · Posted on Jul 3, 04:43 AMBramantyo Prijosusilo