Gus Dur opposes sweeping against Westerners

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.