Forum aims to protect interests of Islam

Forum aims to protect interests of Islam

By Sri Wahyuni

YOGYAKARTA (JP): It's hard to believe that the quiet housing
complex in Degolan Village, Umbulmartani Ngemplak Sleman, some 15
kilometers north of here, is headquarters to the controversial
Laskar Jihad Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah Communication Forum.

The jihad force was in the spotlight for its military-style
training in a Bogor village, followed by its alleged compliance
with authorities to hand in weapons last month, and then the
reported arrival of at least 500 members in war-torn Maluku last
month who the jihad commander said were there to provide
"spiritual needs" to those in suffering.

Authorities are tightening control over the members' entrance
into Maluku -- their "massive war training", said a Maluku
councillor, made their humanitarian concerns quite hard to
swallow, even on the grounds of self defense.

Criticism from the press also came following the beating and
intimidation of three reporters suspected of entering the group's
building in Bogor with ill intentions, but commander Ja'far Umar
Tholib said they were known to be reporters only after they were
beaten.

"It was an emotional time and there were rumors that someone
was out to poison our food."

Located adjacent to a graveyard, the main building of about 70
square meters in the Forum's compound looks as humble as its
surroundings.

With a floor of rough cement, part of it carpeted, the
building is divided into four rooms of about the same size. One
room is the headquarters of the force claiming thousands of
members.

The headquarters occupies part of the Ihya'us
Sunnah Islamic Boarding School that Ustadz (Islamic teacher)
Ja'far established in 1994.

Members of the forum include some 15 families staying in
buildings around the school, which is on a 500-square meter plot
rented from locals since 1999 for a 10-year term.

The site blends in with its surroundings, with no dividing
wall, as is the usual case with housing complexes.

Most homes are semi-permanent structures, some of them rented.
Inhabitants and neighbors perform their prayers at the Usman bin
Affan Mosque 25 meters south of the compound, where dozens of
members spend their time waiting for their departure to Maluku,
the Forum staff said.

Members also tend to their individual businesses to provide
income for their families.

The forum so far owns some 3,000 square meters of land there
apart from the 500-meter rented plot. Ja'far's three wives also
live here in separate houses. He has eight children including
those from an ex-wife.

Members are easily distinguished by their clothing; the males
usually wear white long-sleeved loose-fitting shirts and trousers
cut just below the ankle.

Females wear mostly black flowing robes, with black veils
covering their faces.

Ja'far said he and his followers have dressed this way since
1989, when he established his first Islamic boarding school in
Tengaran, in the Central Java town of Salatiga.

"We are following the way Prophet Mohammad dressed; doing so
is part of practicing our religion (ibadah)," Ja'far said.

The group say they follow what is called the salafiah school
in understanding the Koran and Hadith (the Prophet's teachings),
reflected in the comparatively strict rules such as male-female
communication.

Unless they are of the same family or blood relatives
(muhrim), face-to-face contact between different sexes is not
allowed. Communication is, however, possible provided that they
are separated by, for instance, a curtain.

There are about 36 males studying at the Ihya'us Sunnah
boarding school. Many drop out if they have failed but can still
listen in.

The secretary of the Forum's central executive board, Makruf
Bahrun, said the school aims to produce preachers (dai) -- who
are males only, studying for four years.

Female students study for two years, considered adequate "as
a foundation for them to become good mothers and housewives," he
said, in line with the belief that women's role is in the home.
The students study the aqidah (knowledge about the oneness of
Allah), Islamic law, Arabic and tafsir, the interpretation of
the Koran).

The Forum and its school seems to have attracted many students
from various groups and regions.

Those from Yogyakarta, for example, are mostly from nearby
universities. "Some stay here, some others come only for
classes," Makruf said.

He added that some prospective graduates are sent abroad,
mostly to Yemen or Madinah Islamic University, to continue their
studies.

The Communication Forum was set up at the school in 1998,
initially to organize a mass prayer meeting (tabligh akbar) in
Solo. Ja'far said he then perceived that the widespread protests
against the government of then president B.J. Habibie were mainly
because he came from the Association of Muslim Intellectuals
(ICMI) and because he advocated the interests of Muslims -- not
because of the shortcomings of his presidency.

To defend Muslims' interests, he said, it was necessary to
work with the military in preventing further harm coming from
those who were against the Islamic community here, including
President Abdurrahman Wahid, accused of only protecting
minorities at the cost of Muslims.

In the past, people associated with the military also
succeeded in preventing then president Sukarno from giving power
to the communists, he said.

A scholar on Islamic studies Azyumardi Azra has stated that
while "Muslim liberals" might consider such ideas of cooperating
with the military alarming and a constraint to building a civil
society, hardliners, security forces or their members are
considered useful in the promotion of Islamic values, given their
potential power.

Ja'far does not acknowledge receiving financial support from
the military, but says that funds are requested from "any"
sympathetic party. However, his alleged experience in Afghanistan
may have provided some of the spirit among some members in
promoting Islam, though it is controversial among other Muslims.

The forum eventually developed into an organization
claiming some 50 million members, Ja'far said. There are 21
branches in Java, plus others in Medan, Padang, Lampung, Jambi,
Riau, Batam, South Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, South Sulawesi,
South East Sulawesi, and North Sulawesi, according to the forum.

Members seem to be wholeheartedly following the way of life of
the group.

Vinny, the youngest wife of the Ustadz, said she used to be an
aerobics instructor before her older brother asked that she study
at the Forum's pesantren. She was coming of age and her brother
was worried about her "uncertain" future.

"I just followed the classes to please him, and I began to
wear the veil," she said. After six months, she said she enjoyed
the surroundings and its teachings. Then the Ustadz asked for her
hand in marriage, "and it was like a blessing," she said, knowing
he was a "man of justice," even though it would mean becoming his
third wife.

Abu Cholid, who is among those managing the school, said he
first heard about the group through its center in Salatiga. He
said he liked to move around Koran reading centers and finally
came across the Forum at its branch in Salatiga.

"I think the salafiah teaching (adopted by the Forum) is the
closest to the teachings of the Koran and that of the Prophet,"
he said. The group cited the way of life of the Prophet and his
close friends as an example.

If Islam rules that man is only to fear Allah, is it not a
violation if the Forum members idolize their leader?

Cholid said it is not true that members regard the Ustadz as
an unquestionable figure.

"If anyone among us comes up with a way of teaching that is
proved to be more valid than the interpretation provided, then it
can be adopted," he said.