Gus Dur opposes sweeping against Westerners
I Wayan Juniartha, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar, Bali
Former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid in Denpasar on Monday, voiced his opposition to "sweeping" activities launched by several hard-line Muslim groups against U.S. citizens in Indonesia.
The former leader of Indonesia's largest Muslim organization Nadhlatul Ulama (NU) said that, according to Islamic teachings, civilian groups had no right whatsoever to undertake such action.
"It's not their right as they have no authority to do so. In Islam, only the state's apparatus has the right and authority to conduct such a course of action and nobody else," he said upon arrival at the Ngurah Rai International Airport, Bali.
Abdurrahman was warmly greeted by members of the spiritual group Ashram Bali Gandhi Vidyapith, the Indonesian Islamic Students Association (PMII) and several noted local politicians from his National Awakening Party (PKB) and the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-Perjuangan).
He also stressed that the idea of conducting a jihad, which was already called upon by several Muslim leaders, was definitely against his personal belief that a truthful struggle must be based solely on principles of non-violence.
"Let them (the leaders) cry for a jihad, but I don't think that many people will agree with them," he said.
Abdurrahman was slated to be the keynote speaker at the Gandhi Jayanti (the Birthday of Gandhi) celebration on Tuesday night at Ashram Bali Canti Dasa, in the coastal area of Karangasem regency some 75 kilometers east of here. The spiritual learning seat was run by Gus Dur's long-time friend and an ardent follower of Gandhi, Ibu Gedong Bagoes Oka.
Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Sofjan Jacoeb said in Jakarta on Monday that no complaints have thus far been lodged by foreign diplomats concerning threats by radical groups against foreigners.
What the groups are doing is still within the parameters of the law, Sofjan said after attending a ceremony for the commemoration of the National Tragedy Remembrance Day at Lubang Buaya Monument in East Jakarta.
He explained that his office had received U.S. Ambassador Robert S. Gelbard's report, which said that a group of people had deliberately passed his official residence shouting protests against America's stance toward Afghanistan.
"We have questioned these people, but it is not a threat as we found that what they did is still legal. That's all I can say," he said.
He reiterated that the police would not hesitate to take firm action against any violators of the law who threaten or use force against foreigners.
Meanwhile, a radical Muslim group said that it would go ahead with its plan to attack the U.S. embassy in Jakarta and expel all American citizens residing and traveling in Indonesia, despite a call by President Megawati and Muslim figures not to harm foreigners in the country.
"We will not listen to any calls from anybody. If the U.S. government does attack Afghanistan, we will immediately attack the U.S. embassy and search for American citizens and expel them from Indonesia," M. Siradj Alwi, operational commander of the Islam Defenders Front (FPI), told The Jakarta Post.
Siradj claimed that FPI has 20,000 members residing in Jakarta and its outskirts, all of whom are ready for mobilization and to launch such operations within seconds.
"Besides them, we have seven million members across the country who are waiting for my command," Siradj said.
According to him, these people can easily be mobilized by FPI officials in 18 provinces, including all provinces in Java, Maluku, Lampung and parts of provinces in Sumatra and Kalimantan.
Commenting on the search for Americans, Siradj said that there is a possibility that they may do the same thing for Westerners whose countries support any U.S. attack on Afghanistan.