Ja'far suspects political motives behind his arrest

BOGOR (JP): Laskar Jihad Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jammaah commander Ja'far Umar Thalib reiterated on Wednesday his innocence and insisted that his arrest was politically motivated.

Ja'far is facing charges of inciting hostility against a religion and ordering the murder of one of his followers, who was stoned to death in Maluku for adultery.

Speaking at his first media conference since the police put him under house arrest on Tuesday, Ja'far said that the execution was carried out at the behest of his follower after he confessed to committing the offense.

Ja'far said the death sentence was handed down on Feb. 27 this year in a bid to uphold Islamic law.

According to him, the decision was also approved by Maluku Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) chairman M. Sanusi and other Muslim leaders.

"Therefore, the application of Islamic law has been agreed upon by Muslims in Maluku. It is aimed at stamping out prostitution, alcohol and gambling," Ja'far said at the media briefing held at the house of his brother Hilal Thalib, where Ja'far will serve his house arrest.

Although Indonesia is the world's largest Muslim country, it has not adopted Islamic law.

Ja'far said he would continue promoting the adoption of Islamic law, saying that Indonesian law was deteriorating and remained untouched by the reform movement.

The hard-line Muslim figure was arrested on May 4 and remained in Jakarta Police custody for 11 days.

He and thousands of his followers have been taking part in the communal conflict in the Maluku islands where in over two years of conflict pitting Muslims and Christians against each other, 8,000 people have been killed and tens of thousands of others forced to flee their homes.

Separately, National Police chief Gen. Surojo Bimantoro on Wednesday said that his force needed more time to investigate Ja'far.

"We are still finishing off the dossier and we need more time to find eyewitnesses and to obtain evidence," Bimantoro told reporters.

The South Jakarta District Court ordered the police to present Ja'far before the court on Thursday to testify in his action against the police for unlawful detention.

Ja'far is demanding that the police rehabilitate his good name and pay Rp 5 million in compensation for what he termed his illegal arrest. (21/ylt)