Cabinet ministers split over calls for jihad<\/p>\n
Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Top Cabinet ministers gave mixed responses on Wednesday to the
\ncall for a jihad by some radical Muslim groups, seemingly
\nreflecting divisions over the government's stance regarding the
\nmatter.<\/p>\n
\"The government cannot stop Indonesians from traveling to
\nAfghanistan to fight against a possible attack by the U.S. as
\nlong as they have travel documents,\" Minister of Justice and
\nHuman Rights Yusril Ihza Mahendra told reporters after a
\ncoordinating meeting on political and security affairs.<\/p>\n
Also present at the meeting, which was chaired by Coordinating
\nMinister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang
\nYudhoyono, were Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayudha,
\nMinister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno, Minister of Defense Matori
\nAbdul Djalil, and National Intelligence Agency chief A.M.
\nHendropriyono.<\/p>\n
\"The immigration office also is unable to prevent someone who
\nhas a passport from going overseas as it's very difficult to
\ndetermine (their intentions),\" he added.<\/p>\n
Matori, who was the last to leave the meeting, however,
\nappealed to the public not to become emotional and not to travel
\nto Afghanistan since Indonesia had sided neither with Afghanistan
\nnor the United States.<\/p>\n
Indonesia is implementing a non-aligned, neutral foreign
\npolicy, he asserted.<\/p>\n
\"Again I stress that we are fighting terrorism, not religion,
\nso let's not be emotional as Indonesia is not in a position to
\nsupport Afghanistan or the United States,\" Matori said.<\/p>\n
Asked whether the government would ban a jihad in support of
\nAfghanistan, Matori simply said: \"Let's see.\"<\/p>\n
When asked whether the volunteers might lose their Indonesian
\ncitizenship should they join the Afghan military as stipulated in
\nArticle 17 of Law No. 62\/1958 on citizenship, Yusril said: \"It is
\nagainst the law for Indonesians to join a regular army in a
\nforeign country, but if they go as volunteers, we cannot stop
\nthem.\"<\/p>\n
Yusril declined to answer whether joining the Taliban military
\nwould be against the law, as the Taliban were now the de facto
\nrulers of the country after a coup against the legitimate Afghan
\ngovernment on Sept. 27, 1996.<\/p>\n
In response to a possible military strike by the United States
\nagainst the Taliban regime, several militant Muslim groups in
\nIndonesia have been campaigning for the launching of a jihad in
\ndefense of the Taliban.<\/p>\n
Afghanistan has been accused by the U.S. of harboring Osama
\nbin Laden, Washington's chief suspect in the Sept. 11 terror
\nattacks on New York and the Pentagon.<\/p>\n
One of these groups, the Islam Youth Movement (GPI), has even
\nstarted registering volunteers, and claims that thousands of
\npeople nationwide \"are ready to die as martyrs for the sake of
\nIslam.\"<\/p>\n
Jusril's statement appeared to overrule an earlier statement
\nmade by Muhamad Indra, the director of supervision and
\nenforcement at the Immigration Office, that his office would
\nrevoke the citizenship of Indonesians traveling as volunteers to
\nAfghanistan as they would be engaged in overseas military action
\nwithout government consent.<\/p>\n
Indra has also said that he would order immigration offices
\nnationwide to refuse to issue the travel documents needed for
\nsuch purposes.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/cabinet-ministers-split-over-calls-for-jihad-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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