Nonmilitary approach best against terror: Workshop<\/p>\n
Ivy Susanti, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The government should focus on a nonmilitary approach in fighting
\nterrorism to avoid misunderstandings with Islamic groups, a
\ndiscussion panel concluded on Monday.<\/p>\n
To date, 33 Indonesians have been convicted for acts of terror
\n-- mostly in the October 2002 bombings in Bali and last year's JW
\nMarriott Hotel attack in Jakarta -- under Law No. 15\/2003 on
\nterrorism. But such measures have not discouraged others from
\nplanning similar crimes.<\/p>\n
The two-day regional workshop, "Contemporary Islamic Movements
\nin South and Southeast Asia: Roots of Fundamentalism, Networks,
\nPolicy and Trend", is being held in Tangerang, Banten.<\/p>\n
The seminar was jointly organized by Ridep Institute, a
\nresearch organization in Jakarta, and Friedrich Eibert Stiftung,
\na non-governmental organization based in Germany.<\/p>\n
S. Yunanto, Ridep Institute's executive director, said that
\nthe government should aim at the root of terrorism, which may be
\nsocial and cultural in nature such as education, and not hastily
\nconclude that religious fundamentalism is the source of terror.<\/p>\n
"I want to point out here that not all Muslim activities in
\nthis country deserve similar treatment. On the other hand, not
\nall fundamentalism, in the Muslim context, is a problem to the
\nstate," he told The Jakarta Post on the sidelines of the workshop
\non Monday.<\/p>\n
A fundamentalist, he said, would use the literal approach to
\nthe holy Koran, resulting in a rigid, "anti-interpretation"
\npersonality.<\/p>\n
"Such an approach may affect his\/her political thoughts. It's
\nnot a big problem when a fundamentalist wants to introduce
\nreligious values in politics, but don't view this as an effort to
\nestablish a Muslim country," he said.<\/p>\n
But Insp. Gen. Ansyaad Mbai, head of the counterterrorism desk
\nat the Office of the Coordinating Minister for Political and
\nSecurity Affairs, said that the injustice and oppression may
\nprompt to militancy, besides the literal approach and the
\nmisinterpretation of Islamic teachings.<\/p>\n
Based on the National Police's investigation into the two
\naforementioned cases, "... it was learned that one of the
\nmotivations of terrorists is to fight injustice and oppression
\nperceived to be carried out by the West, led by the United
\nStates."<\/p>\n
Therefore, he said, the war against terrorism should be seen
\nas a war of ideas, aiming at accumulating support for respective
\nideas, through correlative factors such as poverty, education and
\nother social problems.<\/p>\n
"We should ask credible religious figures to teach the correct
\ninterpretation of Islam. For example, by raising questions such
\nas whether religion teaches us to plant a bomb to kill people?
\nWhat kind of religious teaching is that? The Ministry of
\nReligious Affairs should initiate this task."<\/p>\n
However, he did not rule out the possibility that the effort
\nto stamp out terrorism could sometimes have political
\nconsiderations.<\/p>\n
"Terrorism is a politically motivated crime. The problem is,
\nwe are facing a transitional government, meaning all the
\ngovernment's acts may have political considerations. The arrest
\nof a terrorist suspect is just a part of law enforcement, but now
\nit has become a political issue," said Ansyaad, a former North
\nSumatra Police chief.<\/p>\n
Some Madrassa (Islamic boarding schools) and private schools
\nin Pakistan are examples of how their lessons can turn students
\ninto perceived militants, radicals and jihadists.<\/p>\n
AH Nayyar, a professor of physics at the Quaid-i-Azam
\nUniversity, said that religious fundamentalism had gained
\npopularity in Pakistan, an Islamic state in South Asia, because
\nof a complex interplay of various phenomena, including a quest
\nfor identity, security concerns from India and the country's
\nforeign policy objectives.<\/p>\n
Former Pakistani leader Gen. Zia-ul-Haq started "Islamized"
\neducation in Pakistan in the 1980s, through the curricula and
\ntextbooks in public schools on social studies, Urdu, civics and
\nEnglish. They were all compulsory subjects from primary to high
\nschool.<\/p>\n
"Textbooks in social sciences have doctrinal material aimed at
\ncreating a pious Muslim, a patriotic Pakistani and a jihadi out
\nof the student."<\/p>\n
He further noted that the effort to fight militants should
\nconsider the issue of education. Past lessons taught the country
\nthat under Zia's rule, religious fanatics, imbued with the ideals
\nof jihad and shahadat (testimonies), were created to help the
\nUnited States fight communism, then Kashmiri rebels.<\/p>\n
Nayyar mentioned that Gen. Pervez Musharraf had identified law
\nenforcement and a strong security apparatus as ways to tackle the
\nproblem of sectarianism and extremism. Pakistan, a close ally of
\nthe United States in the war against terror, recently arrested
\npeople with suspected links to the al-Qaeda network.<\/p>",
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