Stop threatening foreigners, military tell militans
Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Jakarta Military Commander, Maj. Gen. Bibit Waluyo, warned Indonesian Muslim hard-liners on Friday to stop threatening foreign citizens here, saying Indonesians had to respect their guests.
"I guess the government's policy is quite clear, namely that we must respect overseas citizens here.
"In support of this policy, I am now demanding that hard-line Muslim groups stop frightening these foreigners," Bibit told reporters after attending a commemoration ceremony marking the 56th anniversary of the Indonesian Military (TNI) at the Halim Perdanakusuma air base in East Jakarta.
Bibit also warned the hard-line groups against traveling to Afghanistan as volunteers to fight against the United States, saying that "solidarity among Muslims can be interpreted in many ways."
"Solidarity among Muslims is required, but I guess waging a jihad against Westerners is not the only way of expressing it. I would have thought it would be better if we sent them (the Afghans) medicines, or food, or other aid so as to show our Muslim brotherhood," Bibit said.
"Anyway, the battlefields of Afghanistan are so stormy and hostile, I'm not sure whether Indonesians could survive there," Bibit added.
In reaction to a possible military strike by the United States against the Taliban regime, several Islamic groups in Indonesia have been campaigning for the launching of a jihad in defense of Afghanistan.
One of these groups, the Islam Youth Movement (GPI), has even started registering volunteers, and claimed that thousands of Muslims were ready to wage a jihad.
In Surakarta, Central Java, hard-liners have threatened to hunt down foreign citizens, as well as made bomb threats against some places owned by Westerners.
The government announced a clear policy on Thursday banning Indonesians from going to Afghanistan to fight against the U.S. should that country decide to attack Afghanistan.
Asked if the military would take action against those threatening foreign citizens, Bibit said: "I leave it all to the Jakarta Police ... If they ask for some help, I'll assist them."