'Laskar Jihad' head vows to send volunteers to Maluku
'Laskar Jihad' head vows to send volunteers to Maluku
BOGOR (JP): The commander of Laskar Jihad (Jihad Force),
Jaffar Umar Thalib, insisted on Sunday that the group would
continue its plan to deploy 10,000 volunteers to Maluku at the
end of this month.
"We will keep our schedule to send the first batch of 3,000
volunteers by the end of this month. The next two volunteer
groups will follow, based on a further arrangement," Jaffar, who
was accompanied by chairman Ayip Syarifuddin and secretary-
general Ma'ruf Bahrun, told a news conference.
But Jaffar said he had to fly to the Middle East to meet with
his counterparts to talk about the planned deployment of
volunteers in Maluku.
"Prior to departing for Maluku, I will go for a 10-day visit
to Middle Eastern countries, such as Saudi Arabia, Yemen and
Jordan, to discuss the jihad plan with our counterparts," he
said.
At the moment, he said, he was still waiting for the
completion of his visa application.
Earlier this week, Minister of Religious Affairs Tolchah Hasan
asked the police to disband the Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jama'ah Forum,
which he said had questionable intentions as Maluku had entered a
reconciliation and rehabilitation stage.
The minister also said he had received complaints from several
representatives of Middle Eastern countries who said they had
nothing to do with the forum's activities "which could tarnish
the image of the Middle East as the group were wearing Arabian-
style clothing".
The Jihad Force previously announced the volunteers would
leave for Maluku on April 23 to aid Muslims affected by the
prolonged communal clashes in the province.
"Members of Laskar Jihad who are married will stay in Maluku
for four months, while those who are not will probably stay there
permanently," Jaffar explained.
Jaffar met the media hours before the group's departure from
their military-style training ground in the Munjul village of
Kayumanis in Tanah Sareal district. According to the group's
schedule, members of Laskar Jihad were to leave the area
beginning at 8 p.m. on Sunday.
"Some members will go home to their respective hometowns in
Central Java, while those from outside Java will stay at our main
base in Yogyakarta before leaving for Maluku," he said.
After handing over a total of 487 various weapons to police on
Friday, about 3,000 Jihad Force members agreed to vacate the
seven-hectare compound on about 40 buses for the group's main
headquarters in Kaliurang, 15 kilometers north of Yogyakarta in
Central Java.
Six commanders of the group met with Bogor Regional Police
chief Col. Edi Darnadi on Saturday to coordinate the pullout.
"Laskar Jihad will leave under a police escort that will take
them to the border of Bogor," Edi said, adding that the entourage
would head to Yogyakarta via Bandung, the capital of West Java.
Jaffar reiterated that the forum's mission is to forge a
spiritual form of jihad through preaching.
"But this time media reports are merely focusing on the
physical and weapon training, while the main spiritual goal of
the jihad has not been covered," he said.
The group voiced its dissatisfaction with President
Abdurrahman Wahid's handling of the Maluku conflict, accusing him
of favoring the Christian minority.
Jihad Force members have been taking part in training since
April 6.
As many as 3,150 Muslim youths took part in the training,
which was organized on the plot of land, belonging to the Al
Irsad Foundation chaired by Jaffar Hilal Thalib.
Locals, however, have expressed fear over the group's
activities and complained that the Jihad Force harmed the
environment by using the nearby Cibadak River and cutting down
trees without permission.
In a bid to ease tension and mend relations with local
residents, the group staged activities, such as cleaning the
local roads and mosques, on Saturday and Sunday. In cooperation
with young doctors from Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta and
Airlangga University in Surabaya, they also provided free health
services to the locals. (21/edt)