Tarmizi defends his remarks on rioters

Tarmizi defends his remarks on rioters

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Religious Affairs Tarmizi Taher
defended yesterday his controversial statement that rioters could
be killed, saying it was a warning for Moslems against the danger
of communism.

Tarmizi told The Jakarta Post yesterday that when he said last
week that "it is halal (religiously permissible) to shed the
blood and lives of rioters," he was referring to a Koran verse
which had been interpreted by noted Moslem scholar Quraish
Shihab.

Quraish, the rector of Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta State
Institute for Islamic Studies, is known for his extensive
knowledge and critical interpretation of the Koran.

Tarmizi did not mention the exact verse, but Sura Al Maidah:
32, which explains about the murder of Adam's son Habil by his
brother Qabil, says: "We ordained that for the children of
Israel, if anyone slew a person -- unless it be for murder or for
spreading mischief in the land -- it would be as if he slew the
whole people."

Tarmizi said that it was obligatory for him and other Moslem
leaders, including Abdurrahman Wahid of the 30-million-strong
Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), and even the Armed Forces to caution people
against the provocation of the remnants of the now defunct
Indonesian Communist Party (PKI).

"This (warning) is necessary because Moslems here are easily
provoked into rioting," he said.

Therefore, he said, there should be no hesitation in fighting
the rioters. "If we feel doubt in our fight against them, then
the murderers and looters will continue disrupting our national
stability," he said.

Tarmizi made his controversial statement when addressing 500
East Java ulemas in Surabaya last Tuesday. He was discussing the
unrest that had occurred in various parts of the country over
recent months, especially during the general election campaign.

The statement has sparked strong criticism from Moslem
leaders, including Said Agil Siraj of NU who said that the remark
should not have been uttered by the minister in his capacity as a
national religious leader. Some students of the Yogyakarta state-
run State Institute for Islamic Studies also protested the
statement, arguing that it could be used by other people to
condone the use of coercive means to settle national problems.

Tarmizi dismissed the students' protests. "They are only
students. They'd do better to discuss the matter with Quraish
Shihab," he said.

Tarmizi speculated that those who rioted were atheists and
members of PKI.

Meanwhile in Yogyakarta, hundreds of students demanded
yesterday that Tarmizi resign. Calling themselves the
Antiviolence Movement of the People, the students marched around
the state-run Gadjah Mada University, brandishing placards that
denounced Tarmizi for "blowing a deadly wind".

After a reading poetry and singing, the students made a
statement. They urged Tarmizi to place an advertisement of
apology in both local and foreign media. (11/23)