Amien warns against resorting to jihad

JAKARTA (JP): People's Consultative Assembly Speaker Amien Rais warned Muslims in Indonesia not to easily resort to jihad (holy war) against the United States unless it proceeded with its aggression threat on Afghanistan in a blind rage.

"Don't be that easy to wage jihad unless if we have comprehensively understood that jihad in the sense of a holy war is a small part of jihad in a broader meaning," Amien was quoted by Antara as saying on Thursday.

Amien, who is also National Mandate Party chairman, vowed that he would not jump onto the wagon burning the spirit of jihad, "unless, for example, the U.S. attacks Afghanistan and other Muslim countries in a blind rage in the name of religion."

If this happens, he said, then it is time for Muslims to talk about jihad in the sense of waging a physical war. "But if not, never read jihad in that context because it will only worsen the situation."

Amien said jihad derived from the Arabic words badrul juhdi, meaning the exertion of all efforts for a sanctified deed. "So in this context, helping the poor can be classified as jihad. In a state of war, it can indeed mean the use of arms to protect the integrity and pride of a nation and state."

He did not deny, however, that the term jihad was now being promoted widely in the context of a holy war.

Separately, Minister of Religious Affairs Said Agiel Munawar criticized the Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) for not coordinating with the ministry before making a jihad call.

The minister said that the council should not have behaved like that, making statements unilaterally. "It should have coordinated with the ministry before making such a call. We have a ministry of religious affairs and a minister of religious affairs. Why not talk with us about the problem and how to resolve it?" he argued.

He conceded, however, that it would be up to individual Muslims whether to join the call, but the issue is now as such that it would have an impact on the public.

"We will have a meeting to discuss the problem tomorrow (on Friday) and the government will make a statement regarding it," he added.

MUI, after meeting with executives of 32 Islamic organizations in Jakarta on Tuesday, condemned the terrorist attacks on U.S. landmarks and called on Muslims worldwide to prepare for a jihad should the U.S. and its allies attack Afghanistan to pursue Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden. Bin Laden has been declared the prime suspect in the Sept. 11 tragedy, in which hijacked aircraft were slammed into the World Trade Center twin towers in New York and the Pentagon, killing more than 6,000 people from many countries and from various religions. (akm)