Lee's rapped over remark on radical groups<\/p>\n
Debbie A. Lubis, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Indonesian Muslim scholars denied on Sunday the statement by
\nSingapore's Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew that there were some 100
\nradical groups in Indonesia aimed at establishing an Islamic
\nsuperstate in Southeast Asia.<\/p>\n
Former president Abdurrahman Wahid, or Gus Dur as he is
\nfamiliarly known, and noted Muslim scholar Azyumardi Azra
\nconcurred in saying that Lee had miscalculated the number of
\nIslamic radical groups in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
According to both Gus Dur and Azyumardi, the facts showed that
\nsuch groups were still small in number and the majority of
\nIslamic groups here did not support extremism.<\/p>\n
\"Lee's statement is exaggerated and the figure is not correct.
\nIt shows that he really does not understand Islam and Muslims in
\nIndonesia. There are radical groups here but they are only in the
\ndozens and they never get any support from other parties,\"
\nAzyumardi told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
He said that the only strong radical Muslim groups that had
\never existed in the country were Laskar Jihad, Islam Defenders'
\nFront, and the Majelis Mujahidin.<\/p>\n
Lee, in an interview with the Dec. 12 edition of the Far
\nEastern Economic Review, said that the monitoring of Internet
\ntraffic had led to the identification about 100 radical groups
\nwith several thousand members operating in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
\"They want to create a Muslim state or Daulah Islamiyah, a
\ncaliphate that comprises Malaysia, Indonesia, the southern
\nPhilippines and Singapore,\" he was quoted by Reuters as saying.<\/p>\n
Azyumardi said that the idea of establishing an Islamic state
\nwas not something new here as it first emerged in the 1950s
\nthrough the Darul Islam movement.<\/p>\n
\"History and experience show that such a movement could never
\nget majority support and that the goal is unrealizable,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Azyumardi, however, admitted that the growth in radical
\nIslamic groups here was due to the weak authority of the state
\nand a lack of police professionalism in stemming the tide of such
\nmovements.<\/p>\n
\"Such groups will vanish if law enforcement improves and all
\nperpetrators of crimes are punished severely. Therefore, we
\nshould push the police to be more professional. Their success in
\ndealing with the Bali bombings is an achievement that should be
\nrespected, though,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Gus Dur said through his spokesman Adhie Massardie
\nthat the idea of establishing an Islamic state would be rejected
\nby Indonesians who were not Muslim and also by a majority of
\nMuslims in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
\"So, there was no reason for Lee to make such a statement,\"
\nGus Dur said in a press release made available by e-mail to the
\nPost.<\/p>\n
Gus Dur then pointed to Muslim organization Nahdlatul Ulama
\n(NU), which represents 60 percent of Muslims in the country, as
\nan example of the practice of Islam that was both humane and
\ndemocratic.<\/p>\n
He warned all Muslims across the country not to overreact to
\nLee's statement, otherwise the international community would take<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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