Moderate Muslims urged to join war on terrorism

Moderate Muslims urged to join war on terrorism

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

President Megawati Soekarnoputri finally reached out to the
country's Islamic mainstream on Monday, urging them to
participate in the war against terrorism.

She also assured the country's Muslim community that the on-
going antiterrorism drive was not directed against Islam.

"The President is calling on moderate Muslim groups such as
Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah to promote Islam as a peace-
loving and cooperative religion, especially in the current war
against terrorism," chairman of the Indonesian Muslim Students
Association (PMII) Nusron Wahid said after a meeting with
Megawati Monday.

The PMII is one of the youth-wing organizations of Nahdlatul
Ulama (NU), the largest Muslim-based organization in the country.

"The President also underlines that the Muslim community
should not be afraid of the current probe as long as they are not
involved in terrorist activities," Nusron said.

Megawati's invitation for moderate Muslim groups was the first
attempt to engage the public in fighting against the terrorism
that has created havoc for the country's economy with the deadly
attacks in the prime tourist destination of Bali on Oct. 12.

It also came amid anxiety among Muslims here following police
searches in a number of Muslim boarding schools suspected of
having links with suspects in the Bali carnage that killed almost
190 people and injured over 300 others, mostly foreigners.

The searches have provoked strong criticism from some quarters
in society, with NU chairman Hasyim Muzadi saying that the police
should have shown more courtesy in conducting investigations in
these schools.

Earlier, Hasyim, Bishop's Council of Indonesia (KWI) chairman
Cardinal Julius Darmaatmadja, Indonesian Communion of Churches
(PGI) chairman AA Yewangoe, nationalist figure Roeslan Abdoelgani
and Muslim scholar Nurcholis Madjid called for an end to
propaganda equating terrorism with Islam.

Nusron said that Megawati had given assurance that there was
no intention at all from the government of abusing the
antiterrorism regulation or to follow any foreign scenarios as
suggested by some quarters in the society.

She did admit that the presence of a number of radical
religious groups had created problems for her administrations but
emphasized that their existence did not warrant the government to
abuse the recently unveiled antiterrorism regulations.

"Their numbers are not much, but they could become a pebble in
the shoe of the government," Megawati said, referring to their
potential to create problems in the country.

Vice President Hamzah Haz also criticized the searches of
Muslim schools on Monday, saying that the police should show
respect for these places.

"The police should use a different approach when investigating
gambling dens and Muslim boarding schools," said Hamzah, who is
also the leader of the country largest Muslim-based party.

"This criticism should provide input for the police in doing
their job. Please do not treat places of worship as terrorist
hiding places," Hamzah said.

National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar said that the police
would always act ethically in conducting searches in Muslim
schools.

"All places in the country come under our jurisdiction, except
some areas belonging to foreign diplomatic missions," Da'i
remarked.

"So we have the right to conduct searches in the Muslim
schools, but of course we take ethics into account when we do
so," the four-star general said.

He further said that the investigation would continue to be
transparent so that the public could scrutinize the work of the
police.

Despite of the criticism, Bali investigative team leader Insp.
Gen. Made Mangku Pastika said on Monday that the police would
conduct more searches in Muslim boarding schools to find the
perpetrators of the bombing.

Nusron underlined that his organization endorsed the
President's view on Islamic radicalism, including the insistence
on inclusion of sharia in the state's life, as a worrying
phenomenon in the country.

"We believe that religion is the private sphere and the state
is the public sphere. Forcing the inclusion of shariah in the
state's live would jeopardized this distinction," he said.