Muslim Lawyers' Team advised to change name

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.