Susilo urges greater role for moderates in terror fight

Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Giving moderate Muslim leaders a greater role in society is essential if the emerging threat of radicalism among their followers is to be halted, a senior security minister said.

"The government needs to give these moderate Muslim leaders more room to educate people... the society should not be hijacked by small radical groups," Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono told a discussion with dozens of foreign ambassadors here on Monday.

However, Susilo did not spell out the details of the plan, nor the action the government would take to accommodate the ideas of these moderate leaders.

Susilo underlined that aside from empowering the moderate Muslim leaders, the government was trying harder to eradicate the causes of radicalism.

"The state has to deal with the real condition of Muslims (here), their poverty and lack of education... so that they no longer feel sidelined," the minister said.

Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim country, has been experiencing the emergence of small radical Muslim groups since the reform movement in 1998.

The country was described as "fertile ground" for terrorism following a series of bomb attacks since 2000, which were linked to the Jamaah Islamiyah, a group listed by the United Nations as a terrorist group due to its alleged ties with Al-Qaeda.

Dozens of people have been arrested and sentenced in connection with the Bali blasts in October 2002 and the following bomb attacks in Makassar, South Sulawesi, in December and Jakarta in August this year.

The terrorist attacks in Indonesia and elsewhere have resulted in the perception that the worldwide fight against terrorism has tarnished the image of Islam.

In Bangkok, Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda also said that empowering moderate Muslims would support the fight against terrorism.

"Of course it is easy to condemn the radical extremists who are behind such acts of terrorism but in the long term, the war against terrorism will succeed only if you can deal with the root causes of the problems," he said as quoted by Agence France- Presse.

"There is growing agreement among countries that the moderates need to be strengthened in order for them to be able to speak out and to lead... and to present a new or different face of Islam," he continued.

Such an Islam would "not be grossly associated with terrorism... with violence", he concluded, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit meeting.

Terrorism is among the crucial issues to be discussed at the Summit meeting, which is also attended by Indonesian President Megawati Soekarnoputri.

"I think it is timely that Islam, or Islamic communities, present to the outside world an Islam that is inclusive, an Islam that protects all, an Islam that is peace-loving and tolerant."

When asked whether the West could help in strengthening moderate Islam, Wirayuda replied: "I think so... there are many ways, education is one, economic assistance is another. So we can be creative on that."

During the discussion in Jakarta on Monday, Susilo admitted that the threat of terrorism in Indonesia was imminent as documents obtained from terrorist suspects showed that certain groups were planning to launch further attacks.

"The coming holiday season of Idul Fitri, Christmas and New Year, as well as the elections next year, will be a vulnerable period for Indonesian security," he said.

However, the government promises to maintain security during those events, Susilo said.

Indonesia will hold the landmark direct elections of legislative members and the president next year, a process which will span from April to September.