Ulemas Council does about-face on jihad
JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) defied President Abdurrahman Wahid's stern warning against a holy war, expressing its sympathy for the cry invoked by Muslim demonstrators for a jihad to defend their brethren in Maluku.
In a statement issued on Saturday, MUI also called on Muslims throughout the country to foster unity, cohesion, solidarity and vigilance against any kind of trick and stratagem by certain groups who are anti-Islam.
The tone and spirit of the statement, which was signed by chairman H. Amidhan and secretary-general Nazri Adlani, departs from the stance taken by MUI earlier this week, according to the Antara news agency.
In the statement, MUI strongly condemned what it described as the brutal massacre of Muslims and innocent children, the raping of women and the destruction of dozens of mosques and prayer houses in Maluku by extremists in collaboration with foreign parties.
The Islamic scholars characterize the massacres as barbaric and cruel actions in blatant violation of human rights, all of which constitute the persecution of Muslims.
MUI has accused the government of being halfhearted in dealing with the violence and of condoning the arbitrary torture of Muslims in the eastern Indonesian islands.
"We strongly urge the government of President Abdurrahman Wahid and Vice President Megawati to act quickly and firmly against those responsible for the violence," MUI said.
Thousands of people have been killed on various islands in Maluku since the sectarian violence erupted early last year.
Thousands of extra soldiers have already been sent to the islands to prevent further sectarian clashes.
MUI has also lambasted the National Commission on Human Rights for its indifference toward the brutality against Muslims in Maluku, urging the government to dissolve the commission.
"We urge the government to dissolve the National Commission on Human Rights and other non-governmental organizations because they are clearly working for foreigners and defending only the interests of foreigners," MUI added.
This stance is a change from earlier this week, when the leaders of MUI criticized the calls for a holy war in Maluku, warning that a jihad would only worsen the bloodshed.
Umar Shihab, a co-chairman of MUI, was quoted as saying on Wednesday that he was against a jihad if it mobilized thousands of people to take revenge.
Shihab said he considered a holy war to be a sin.
But he said it would be a different matter and something that would be allowed if Muslims were to fight against the provocateurs who had fomented the sectarianism in Maluku. The violent clashes in Maluku have killed more than 1,500 people since early 1999.
Earlier on Tuesday, President Abdurrahman rejected calls for a jihad in Maluku, warning that stern measures would be taken against those going to Maluku to fight.
On Saturday in Medan, North Sumatra, a Muslim group opened a post to collect donations for Muslims in Maluku and to register volunteers willing to fight a jihad in the eastern islands.
Syamsul Qomar, chairman of the Forum for the Defense of Muslims, was quoted by Antara as saying that volunteers who wanted to fight in a jihad would be provided with facilities and funds.
Qomar made the announcement to a mass gathering held by thousands of Muslims in Merdeka Square in the North Sumatra capital on Friday in a show of compassion for Muslims in Maluku.
The gathering was also attended by Governor Rizal Nurdin and Military Commander Maj. Gen. A. Affandi.
Separately, the military said on Saturday that there were no reports of fresh violence in Maluku and fewer people were engaged in mass mobilization.
TNI spokesman Col. Panggih Sundro reported that during recent house-to-house searches for weapons in Maluku, many people voluntarily surrendered their weapons.