Tempest in a teacup?
Tempest in a teacup?
The forcible removal by police of Muslim cleric Abu Bakar
Ba'asyir from his hospital bed in Surakarta (Solo) triggered an
immediate uproar among his most devoted followers in that Central
Java city -- as well as on the part of the media there and in
Jakarta. Four days later, the situation that is emerging appears
to justify the belief that fears of a Muslim backlash in the wake
of the incident have been much exaggerated.
This, of course, is due in part to the wisdom and restraint of
leaders of the Indonesian Islamic community. Notable among them
has been the ulema of the Al-Mukmin Islamic boarding school in
Ngruki, Surakarta, which Ba'asyir led. He appealed for calm and
restraint in the wake of Monday's rioting in and around the
Muhammadiyah general hospital where the 64-year-old cleric was
being treated for respiratory and heart disorders.
From Surakarta, Ba'asyir was flown via Semarang to Jakarta,
where he is currently under treatment at the Police hospital in
Kramat Jati, East Jakarta, pending questioning about his alleged
role in a number of bomb attacks in Jakarta.
Another reason, however, could well be that the scope and
extent of Abu Bakar Ba'asyir's influence over Indonesia's
overwhelmingly Muslim population is more limited than it may
appear. This is despite the exposure of his activities, real or
alleged, at home and abroad, by the media.
Certainly, there can be little doubt about the fierce loyalty
of the cleric's students and close supporters. But unquestioning
loyalty and submission towards a kyai, or ulema, after all, is a
hallmark of pesantren (Islamic boarding schools) in Indonesia.
The ferocity that hundreds of Al-Mukmin students displayed
before television cameras in Surakarta on Monday, certainly
seemed to justify the fears that a nationwide backlash against
Ba'asyir's arrest and removal to Jakarta might trigger. At the
most, however, what has materialized so far, aside from a few
threats of reprisal, is calls for reason and fairness in the
treatment of the ailing cleric -- which seems to prove that
radical militant Islamic groups make up a small minority amid an
overwhelming majority of moderates.
Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has promised the Indonesian public that
Ba'asyir will be treated fairly while in police custody. In a
media conference shortly after Ba'asyir was removed by police
from his Surakarta hospital bed to Jakarta, the minister assured
Indonesians that the cleric was being held only "to be
questioned, not punished", the latter being the task of the
courts in the event that evidence against the cleric is found.
About Ba'asyir's current situation, all that can be said with
certainty at this point is that given the gravity of the
allegations that have been made against him -- he is said to be
the mastermind behind a number of bomb attacks that killed many
people, and an attempt to assassinate Megawati Soekarnoputri
before she became president -- the police obviously have the
authority to order his arrest. Indeed, it was the forceful way in
which the police entered Ba'asyir's hospital room, by breaking in
through a window, that has been the subject of much criticism.
The main task that now remains for the police as far as
Ba'asyir is concerned is to question him as soon as he has
recovered sufficiently from his ailment and obtain whatever
valuable information can be extracted. A number of reports
circulating in Jakarta indicate that, indeed, the aging cleric
may not be as innocent as he purports to be.
Proof of this, however, is for the authorities to establish
and for the courts to decide on. All that we, the public, can do
is maintain our patience for a while and wait for the
investigators to come up with results. In the meantime, we can
only hope that the current situation of relative calm will
prevail so that the nation may have time to recover from the
emotive events of these past few days.
In the meantime, the media should fulfill its role, in
maintaining an atmosphere that will enable the nation to continue
on its tortuous path toward recovery, simply by adhering to the
highest possible standards of professionalism.
The forcible removal by police of Muslim cleric Abu Bakar
Ba'asyir from his hospital bed in Surakarta (Solo) triggered an
immediate uproar among his most devoted followers in that Central
Java city -- as well as on the part of the media there and in
Jakarta. Four days later, the situation that is emerging appears
to justify the belief that fears of a Muslim backlash in the wake
of the incident have been much exaggerated.
This, of course, is due in part to the wisdom and restraint of
leaders of the Indonesian Islamic community. Notable among them
has been the ulema of the Al-Mukmin Islamic boarding school in
Ngruki, Surakarta, which Ba'asyir led. He appealed for calm and
restraint in the wake of Monday's rioting in and around the
Muhammadiyah general hospital where the 64-year-old cleric was
being treated for respiratory and heart disorders.
From Surakarta, Ba'asyir was flown via Semarang to Jakarta,
where he is currently under treatment at the Police hospital in
Kramat Jati, East Jakarta, pending questioning about his alleged
role in a number of bomb attacks in Jakarta.
Another reason, however, could well be that the scope and
extent of Abu Bakar Ba'asyir's influence over Indonesia's
overwhelmingly Muslim population is more limited than it may
appear. This is despite the exposure of his activities, real or
alleged, at home and abroad, by the media.
Certainly, there can be little doubt about the fierce loyalty
of the cleric's students and close supporters. But unquestioning
loyalty and submission towards a kyai, or ulema, after all, is a
hallmark of pesantren (Islamic boarding schools) in Indonesia.
The ferocity that hundreds of Al-Mukmin students displayed
before television cameras in Surakarta on Monday, certainly
seemed to justify the fears that a nationwide backlash against
Ba'asyir's arrest and removal to Jakarta might trigger. At the
most, however, what has materialized so far, aside from a few
threats of reprisal, is calls for reason and fairness in the
treatment of the ailing cleric -- which seems to prove that
radical militant Islamic groups make up a small minority amid an
overwhelming majority of moderates.
Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has promised the Indonesian public that
Ba'asyir will be treated fairly while in police custody. In a
media conference shortly after Ba'asyir was removed by police
from his Surakarta hospital bed to Jakarta, the minister assured
Indonesians that the cleric was being held only "to be
questioned, not punished", the latter being the task of the
courts in the event that evidence against the cleric is found.
About Ba'asyir's current situation, all that can be said with
certainty at this point is that given the gravity of the
allegations that have been made against him -- he is said to be
the mastermind behind a number of bomb attacks that killed many
people, and an attempt to assassinate Megawati Soekarnoputri
before she became president -- the police obviously have the
authority to order his arrest. Indeed, it was the forceful way in
which the police entered Ba'asyir's hospital room, by breaking in
through a window, that has been the subject of much criticism.
The main task that now remains for the police as far as
Ba'asyir is concerned is to question him as soon as he has
recovered sufficiently from his ailment and obtain whatever
valuable information can be extracted. A number of reports
circulating in Jakarta indicate that, indeed, the aging cleric
may not be as innocent as he purports to be.
Proof of this, however, is for the authorities to establish
and for the courts to decide on. All that we, the public, can do
is maintain our patience for a while and wait for the
investigators to come up with results. In the meantime, we can
only hope that the current situation of relative calm will
prevail so that the nation may have time to recover from the
emotive events of these past few days.
In the meantime, the media should fulfill its role, in
maintaining an atmosphere that will enable the nation to continue
on its tortuous path toward recovery, simply by adhering to the
highest possible standards of professionalism.