UK plan to crack down on terror criticized

Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Terrorism and Muslim groups have been generalized as one in the same to an extent that it may well harm the majority of Muslims who are against violence, an observer says.

As British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced new counter- terrorism measures on Friday, which emphasize a crackdown on extremist groups, noted Muslim scholar Moeslim Abdurrahman expressed concern that he may be going too far.

The measures call for the closure of places of worship that foment extremism, as well as consultations with moderate British- Muslim leaders about foreign clerics not suitable to preach in the UK.

Moeslim, from this country's second largest Muslim organization Muhammadiyah, said that Western governments had come to the conclusion that Islamic teachings at the grassroots level had been encouraging acts of terrorism.

"That is of course not true. People must note that mainstream Muslims are against violence, so it can't be generalized," he told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

The July bombings in London, Moeslim added, had driven Muslims to affirm their condemnation against acts of terrorism in the name of a religion.

"Western governments actually should be more firm in supporting mainstream Muslims, who are not hard-liners. Otherwise, it will widen the gap between them and Islam," he said.

The new counter-terrorism measures also include a proposal to broaden governmental powers to exclude and deport foreign nationals who foment or seek to provoke terrorism, foster hatred that may lead to intra-community violence, advocate violence in furtherance of particular beliefs, or express extreme views that are in conflict with the UK's culture of tolerance.

"The British government will draw up a list of extremist websites, bookstores, community centers, networks and organizations with which contact would trigger deportation under the new proposals," the British Embassy in Indonesia said in a statement.

Blair's administration will also proscribe Muslim groups such as Hizbut Tahrir, which also operates in Indonesia, and the successor organization of Al Mujahiroun.

Moeslim said that it was not wise to generalize about certain groups and that there had to be distinctions between which ones were terrorists or hard-line groups and the moderates.

"As far as I'm concerned, although Hizbut Tahrir sticks to hard line on sharia law, they have never perpetrated violence," he said.

Muhammad Ismail Yusanto, chairman of Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia, said that to outlaw the organization in Britain would be invalid as the group maintains principles of non-violence.

"There is no evidence that links Hizbut Tahrir and terrorism. We're not even included on the list of foreign terrorism organizations issued by the United Nations," he told the Post on Sunday.

Ismail said that Blair was probably targeting the group only because he was upset with the harsh criticism upon him and his administration, particularly to do with the country's involvement in the Iraq war.

"(Blair) shouldn't have been upset, because many British people also criticized the policy (on Iraq). This is the paradox of democracy, which shows us that Western governments do not exactly uphold democracy."

The British branch of Hizbut Tahrir, Ismail said, would stage a mass protest in addition to passing around a petition and pursuing legal action.

"We have nationwide support in England," Ismail added.