Muslim Lawyers' Team advised to change name

I Wayan Juniartha and Debbie A. Lubis, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar/Jakarta

The Muslim Lawyers' Team (TPM), a group of lawyers that is defending the suspects in the Bali bombings, has been urged to change its name as it could give rise to sectarian sentiments in what is officially a pluralistic society.

The first such demand came from some 50 members of the Indonesian Hindu Dharma Students' Association (KMHDI), who staged a peaceful rally at Bali Police Headquarters on Tuesday. They argued that the bombing was a crime against humanity, and that the team of lawyers should therefore not attempt to associate themselves with a particular religion.

The students lodged their complaint with Insp. Gen. I Made Mangku Pastika, who leads the police team investigating the devastating blasts.

A similar demand was also made by the head of the Institute of Dharma Strategic Studies (LKSD), I Wayan Jondra, who said that the team's name could raise anti-Muslim sentiments in the predominantly Hindu island.

"We are deeply concerned over the use of "Muslim" in the name as it could insult the feelings and stir the emotions of grass roots communities. The name "Muslim Lawyers' Team (TPM)" could serve to amplify an erroneous view among locals here that Muslims as a whole should be held responsible for the carnage.

"As the Balinese are still shocked and traumatized by the Oct. 12 blasts, we should avoid any triggers that could provoke conflicts among the Indonesian people," he said.

Jondra believed that the lawyers' legal skills would not be adversely affected if they dropped the word "Muslim" from their name.

The director of the Bali Legal Aid Institute (LBH Bali), Gede Widiatmika, stressed that he would refuse to work with the team unless its name was changed.

"I am ready to defend any suspects and their rights. But, we should not mix a law case with religion. This name could send misleading messages to the public. Are we defending a Muslim, a religion or a person?" he said.

Widiatmika said that he and most of his colleagues in Bali would not cooperate with the team unless it changed its name.

In Jakarta, two noted Muslim figures, Solahuddin Wahid, or Gus Solah as he is familiarly known, and Azyumardi Azra suggested that the TPM change its name to a neutral one so as to uphold the principle of non-discrimination.

"Basically, all lawyers provide legal advocacy to suspects and defendants in the name of justice, not in the name of a particular religion, ethnic group, race or class," Azyumardi told The Jakarta Post.

Azyumardi, who is the rector of the Syarif Hidayatullah State Institute of Islamic Studies, added that the TPM could change its name to the Pro-Justice Lawyers' Team, for example, or some other neutral name.

Gus Solah argued that the use of the word "Muslim" would strengthen the impression that Muslims always had something to do with terrorism.

"There are no rules that ban lawyers from using such a name but, psychologically, it will encourage people to stereotype all Muslims as being the same as the clients they are defending, regardless of whether they are guilty or not," he said.

Meanwhile, TPM coordinator Achmad Michdan said in Denpasar that the team was considering changing its name to something that was less objectionable to the Balinese people so as to avoid sectarian sentiment.

"But we need to discuss this with other members of the team before deciding to change the team's name. Besides, there are also many local lawyers who have expressed a willingness to work with the team, so we should be looking for a more appropriate name," he said.

Mihdan and his four colleagues, Qadhar Faisal, Made Rachman Marasabessy, Nasrun Kalianda and Andi Windu, arrived in Bali on Tuesday morning and immediately paid a courtesy call on Pastika at his office in the Bali Police Headquarters.

The team will provide legal counsel to all the suspects in the Bali blasts, including Abdul Azis alias Imam Samudra, Amrozi, and Mukhlas, Amrozi's older brother, who is to be brought to Bali from Central Java in the near future.