JI and terrorism

JI and terrorism

From Forum

The controversy over Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) has arisen since JI
was linked with the Aug. Marriott Hotel bombing in Jakarta, which
claimed dozens of victims. The Aug. 17, 2003 edition of Forum
Keadilan contains two important points, namely the meaning of JI
and the view of the Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) that JI has
never existed as an organization.

According to the magazine, jamaah literally means a group of
believers performing religious duties together, so it does not
mean a group of terrorists. Jamaah Islamiyah, therefore,
literally means a group of Muslims, just like the Muslim
community in Indonesia.

If the U.S. and some of the Indonesian police give JI the
image of a terrorist organization image, they certainly have a
different reason and purpose for this.

Now, the important thing is to demonstrate that Islam is a
religion of peace and to popularize the true meaning of JI among
Muslims through MUI, religious leaders and various other
religious gatherings. This is because the continuous propaganda
against Muslims as terrorists will some day be considered the
truth.

Meanwhile, suicide bombings against American interests in
Indonesia are not appropriate, because America is not directly
involved in any war in this country. The same goes for the
Palestinian bombings for liberation, which can be justified for
their lack of weapons and their war on Israel's occupation.

WELANG BOHARI, Pangkep, South Sulawesi