Threat of more terrorist attacks cannot be ignored
Threat of more terrorist attacks cannot be ignored
Muhammad Nafik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The threat of further terrorist attacks by Jamaah Islamiyyah (JI)
is tangible, and could endanger peace and security throughout
Southeast Asia and other regions across the globe, a three-day
seminar concluded here on Thursday.
"The fact that there is a group of militant Muslims, namely JI
that has the potential to perpetrate violence and commit acts of
terrorism, cannot be ignored," said a statement read out on the
final day of the seminar on Islamic Militant Movements in
Southeast Asia.
"There is evidence that the group exists in Southeast Asia and
could endanger peace and security of the region and the rest of
the world as well," it added.
Authorities in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and the
Philippines have arrested dozens of suspects in terror incidents
including the 2002 Bali bombings, who are believed to be JI
members.
However, they and analysts believe that many other supporters
and sympathizers of the regional terror group remain at large.
"JI or its new incarnation remains a force to be reckoned
with," Sidney Jones, Indonesian project director of the
International Crisis Group, told the seminar on Wednesday.
She said the existence of lethal skills, access to weapons and
explosives and top-flight strategists with a jihadist vision
suggest that JI's serious danger remains.
The statement read out by Murni Djamal, director of the Center
for Languages and Cultures at the State Islamic University (UIN),
said serious measures should be taken to curb the group's spread
so as not to "harm the human civilization".
"There should also be a guarantee that civil liberties are
preserved in attempting to minimize the potential danger of
militancy," it added.
The seminar, organized by the Center, urged the Indonesian
Military (TNI) to be more proactive in tackling the terrorist
threats here.
However, elements within the military have been accused of
protecting and using extremist groups to achieve their own
political interests.
In a move to help counter imminent terrorist problems, the UIN
unveiled a plan to conduct more academic research to shed more
light on the inner workings and history of JI, provided it had
the money to do so.
"We can carry out academic research on our own. But other
agencies can support and cooperate with us," UIN rector Azyumardi
Azra told The Jakarta Post later on Thursday.
"As an academic institution, we need do such a survey. So far,
the investigation into JI has been conducted only with a security
approach," he added.
The plan was also announced by Murni Djamal when closing the
seminar.
He said an academic investigation is needed to "clarify and
identify the membership, structure and networking" of JI in the
southeast Asia region.
"Needless to say the State Islamic University is one of the
most appropriate institutions to conduct research with support
and cooperation from our partners," Djamal said.
He mentioned the partners, such as the Indonesia-Netherlands
Islamic Studies (INIS), the Ford Foundation and the Asia
Foundation.