Sulawesi sharia campaigner denied entry to Australia

Andi Hajramurni, The Jakarta Post, Makassar

A former secretary-general of the South Sulawesi-based Islamic Sharia Enforcement Committee (KPSI) has accused the Australian government of barring his entry to the neighboring country, without good reason.

Azwar Hasan, speaking in the South Sulawesi capital of Makassar on Tuesday, said he was denied a visa, after he applied last week to go to Australia for an Islamic forum.

Elizabeth O'Neill, public affairs counselor at the Australian Embassy in Jakarta, declined to specify the grounds for the rejection.

"If he was not granted a visa, he may not have fulfilled one of the criteria that we have set. But we can't disclose the criteria," she told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

"We don't talk about individual cases. On the whole, each application has to fit certain criteria -- and it is based on merit," O'Neill added.

Azwar, who is a lecturer with state-run Hasanuddin University, said he was invited by the Australian National University (ANU) to attend the Conference on Islam in Southeast Asia on Aug. 30 to Aug. 31.

"I knew I was denied entry by the Australian government when I applied for a visa last week. Without providing an explanation, the Australia Embassy in Jakarta said its foreign ministry could not issue me visa in the near future," he said.

Several days later, Azwar said, the conference's organizing committee withdrew their invitation to him, with no explanation.

Azwar, who currently chairs the South Sulawesi office of the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI), said the committee had invited him to address the conference, on jihad and the implementation of sharia law in the province.

He suspects that the travel ban was related to his key role in establishing the KPSI.

The Australia government, he alleged, may consider him to be from the same group as Agus Dwikarna -- also a cofounder of the KPSI -- who is serving a prison term in the Philippines for illegally possessing explosives.

"I was invited as an observer of the Islamic movement in Indonesia, due to my position as a founder of the KPSI in South Sulawesi.

"I believe that is why the Australian government prevented me from visiting the country. Perhaps, they think I am similar to Agus Dwikarna, who is accused of being a terrorist," Azwar said.

He said he was very disappointed with the Australian government's decision, which he said was "unfair".

Azwar said that, during his planned visit, he had intended to speak on the Islamic movement in Indonesia, and had hoped to receive input from Australian audiences.

"My attendance at the conference would be important, because I would talk in particular on radical Muslims, who have so far been identified as terrorists.

"I want to clarify the misunderstanding -- their negative perception (of Islam) is extremely wrong," he said.