Laskar Jihad differs with al-Qaeda

Laskar Jihad differs with al-Qaeda

Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta

Laskar Jihad, or the Jihad Force of the Ahlus Sunnah wal
Jamaah Communication Forum to give it its full name, has claimed
that it supports any government efforts to clamp down on the
global al-Qaeda terrorist organization of Osama bin Laden.

It argued that al-Qaeda terrorists had practiced bid'ah,
something not recognized in Islamic teaching, by adopting
terrorism as a means of achieving their goals.

Laskar Jihad commander Ja'far Umar Thalib asserted that his
organization could not accept the principles of and the way in
which al-Qaeda operated and, therefore, it could not be in any
way linked with the group.

Ja'far, nevertheless, acknowledged that he met with Osama, the
world's most wanted man, in Pesawar, Pakistan, in 1987, and had
the chance to have a discussion with him.

Ja'far claimed he has never met Osama since then.

Speaking to The Jakarta Post at his home in Degolan village,
some 13 kilometers north of Yogyakarta, Ja'far said that al-Qaeda
was quite reactionary, especially against governments that were
hostile to Islam.

Al-Qaeda, according to Ja'far, also adhered to the so-called
khawarij principles that justified terrorism as a means of
achieving its goals.

Al-Qaeda people would also quickly label other Muslims outside
their circle as kafir (infidel).

"We, of course, do not like that. We are obliged to conduct a
scientific evaluation before considering someone, or other
groups, as kafir. We definitely don't consider other Muslims
outside our group as kafir," Ja'far said, adding that his group
held the public interest and public order in high esteem.

Laskar Jihad, which has been sending its fighters to conflict
areas such as Maluku and Poso, Central Sulawesi, is one of three
organizations in Indonesia considered by many to have links with
al Qaeda.

The other two are the Indonesian Mujahideen Council and the
Jemaah Islamiyah.

Speaking to the Post earlier, Mujahideen chief Abu Bakar
Baashir denied that his group had any links with al-Qaeda.

Jafar also contended that the linking of his group with the
international network responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks on the
World Trade Center and Pentagon was unjustifiable.

"We are just a traditional group. We have nothing but prayers
and our zeal. There's no way that we would have the capability of
undertaking such expensive actions," he said.

Ja'far also said that although his group was strongly against
the U.S. government, the group was not against Americans.

"It's simply not right. Muslims are not allowed to display
hatred against a particular ethnic group. What we are allowed to
do is to express our rejection of a government's political
policy," he said.