JP/7/NEW

JP/7/NEW

Amy Chew, New Straits Times, Kuala Lumpur

Armed with sticks and stones, hundreds of Indonesian Muslim
extremists descended on the Ahmadiyah, a small peaceful Muslim
group in Bogor, West Java, in July.

The attackers set fire to the women's dormitory and knocked
down a gate fronting the Ahmadiyah complex as its followers
looked on helplessly. Some 300 policemen were on guard but failed
to prevent the attack.

Shortly after, Emilia Renita, 38, a Shia Muslim in Jakarta
started receiving threatening messages on her mobile phone
saying: "Shias are deviant. Their blood is halal."

"I was shocked. I am Muslim and yet I am threatened. What more
for those who are non-Muslims?" she said.

The surge in radicalism was partly triggered by 11 decrees
issued in July by the official Council of Indonesian Ulamas (MUI)
which banned the Ahmadiyah, liberalism, pluralism and secularism
as anti-Islam.

That the violence unfolded in the capital Jakarta and its
satellite towns, and not in conservative villages far from the
influence of modern progress, raises concerns over the erosion of
tolerance in a country known for its moderation and pluralism.

"These radicals are spreading hatred against people who are of
different beliefs -- Muslims who believe in an Islam which is
different from theirs, which is Wahhabism. Minorities and non-
Muslims are treated as though they don't have a right to exist,"
said former student activist Syafik Alielha.

"They threaten the existence of Indonesia as a state of
Bhinneka Tunggal Ika which means unity in diversity," he said.

The refined culture and respect for elders, teachers,
intellectuals and foreigners -- characteristics which define the
finest in Indonesian identity -- are also under siege from the
radicals.

When respected and fatherly Muslim scholar Dawam Rahardjo, 63,
said at a recent seminar that absolute truth lies with God and
not with man and that all else should be viewed as relative
truth, young members of the Indonesian Mujahidin Council (MMI)
shouted and threatened to beat him up.

Never before had the young shown so little respect for a man
who has dedicated his life to educating the young. Rahardjo is
the rector of the Islamic University 45 of Bekasi.

So far, the radicals have targeted moderate, liberal and non-
Sunni Muslims.

Ahmadiyah, which previously existed peacefully with other
Muslims, is considered deviant as its followers believe their
founder, Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, is the successor to the Prophet
Muhammad.

Christians have also been targeted. From April to September,
16 churches in Greater Jakarta were forcibly shut down by
radicals. These churches are housed in shophouses and private
homes.

The authorities have done little to prevent the attacks or
take action against the radicals, emboldening them further.

"The government is afraid," said former President Abdurrahman
Wahid who is also a Muslim ulama.

"Why should the government be scared of the extremists when in
fact they are only a small group," said Abdurrahman, who is
affectionately known as Gus Dur.

He headed the country's largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul
Ulama, for 15 years before stepping down in 1999 to assume the
presidency. NU claims 40 million followers and is known as the
face of moderate Islam.

The government appears to be hesitant and uncertain about how
to deal with the situation, fearing a backlash from the Muslim
majority.

The Liberal Islam Network (JIL) says the radicals' newfound
boldness reflects the growing conservatism in segments of the
government.

"They (in government) are not liberal. They are liberal and
modern in other matters but when it comes to religion, they are
conservative," said Hamid Basyaib, JIL's coordinator.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's response to the situation
has been to order his Minister of Religious Affairs, Maftuh
Basyuni, to look into the matter while stressing that the
Constitution guarantees religious freedom. But that has failed to
stop the radicals.

"We are disappointed the government has not taken any measures
to stop them (radicals) from committing violence," said Ulil
Abshar Abdalla, JIL's founder.

A senior police source told the New Straits Times that some
senior officials occupying strategic positions in the
administration were conservative and reluctant to act firmly
against the radicals.

"They are people who are for a state based on sharia and
therefore are not inclined toward taking a firm stance against
the radicals," said the police source.

JIL is a network of moderate Muslim scholars and intellectuals
that promotes tolerance and liberalism and highlights the
peaceful and tolerant aspect of Islam.

The group is small in size, but big in name and influence. Its
members are regular columnists in the country's major newspapers
and are often invited to speak in local and international forums.

Their liberal and moderate views are deemed to run counter to
the MUI's decrees.

Moderate Muslims believe radicalism needs to be dealt with now
to prevent it spreading and deepening.

To counter the radicals requires concerned Muslims, the
government and moderate Muslim leaders to speak to the populace
at large.

"At the government level, it needs to take steps to stop the
violence in society and we must admit that violence is committed
by certain groups who claim to be Muslims," said Ulil.

"The second part is that Muslim leaders have to tell the
people clearly that non-violence is a very important principle in
Islam, that rationality is an important virtue and civilized life
is a precious thing we should struggle for," he said.

While the majority of Muslims do not support the radicals and
the chances of their numbers growing to a huge mass is slim, they
are politically well-connected.

And therein lies their greatest strength, which could well
determine their influence in the country and ultimately the fate
of this nation.

Indonesia has stood out in Southeast Asia as the country which
waged a bloody and relentless battle to gain independence from
the Dutch in 1945.

The war was won with Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists
fighting side by side, diverse but united and ultimately
victorious.

After 60 years of nationhood, it should be easier for everyone
to live together in harmony. But as recent events have shown,
Indonesia now faces a crucial battle to defend its way of life.