Hasyim clarifies his statement on Jamaah Islamiyah
Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Nahdlatul Ulama chairman Hasyim Muzadi and the United States Ambassador to Indonesia Ralph L. Boyce agreed on Wednesday that terrorism was not associated with a particular religion as it could happen anywhere and target anyone.
They also agreed that Indonesia and the U.S. were both affected by terrorist threats in a major way and therefore needed to continue to work together.
The meeting came against the backdrop of Hasyim's controversial statement on Saturday that Jamaah Islamiyah (JI), an al-Qaeda-linked organization operating in Southeast Asia, did not exist. Al-Qaeda was blamed for the attack on the U.S. on Sept. 11, 2001, while JI was accused of masterminding the Bali bombings on Oct. 12, 2002 and JW Marriott Hotel blast on Aug. 5 of this year.
"There has been some confusing statements (made by Hasyim) in headlines of several print media which recently said that JI did not exist. So I want to seek clarification and hold a regular meeting to clear the confusion.
"People might think that terrorism is not a serious problems. Indeed, terrorism is a very serious problem," Boyce said in a joint press conference with Hasyim.
The meeting took place at NU's office on Jl. Kramat Raya in Central Jakarta. Australian Ambassador to Indonesia David Ritchie and a member of the European Parliament, Hartmut Nassauer, each held a separate meeting with Hasyim later in the day, also on terrorism.
NU boasts 40 million supporters, making it the country's largest Muslim organization.
Hasyim's remarks came amid a wave of disappointment among Indonesian Muslim moderates in the country with the U.S., dating back to April when the U.S. attacked Iraq for allegedly possessing weapons of mass destruction. Washington so far has failed to prove its allegation.
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Vice President Hamzah Haz recently branding the U.S. "the king of terrorists", forcing foreign minister Hassan Wirayuda to contain a possible diplomatic snafu resulting from the statement.
Ritchie said after meeting with Hasyim that he understood Hasyim's stance.
"When Hasyim said that Jamaah Islamiyah did not exist in Indonesia, ... what he meant was a terror organization calling itself Jamaah Islamiyah.
The UN has listed JI as a terror organization.
Meanwhile, Nassauer said that learning from the situation in the East and West, he believed that terrorist network did exist and was not merely targeting the United States, but also other countries.
Nassauer even admitted that some terrorist operatives were residing in Germany.
Hasyim suggested that the controversy be stopped, saying such a dispute would only be counterproductive and weaken efforts to combat terrorism.
"We should focus on acts of terror and radicalism, instead of trying to connect JI or any other organization with terrorism. To associate Islam with terrorism is injurious to all religious followers. It tarnishes the image of Islam, and undermines our national interests," he said.