'We should give the U.S. conditional support'

'We should give the U.S. conditional support'

The United States has asserted that it's war on terrorism is
not against Islam, yet protests against the U.S. continue. The
Jakarta Post contributor Rikza Abdullah talked to Nurcholish
Madjid, founder of the Paramadina Foundation in Jakarta by
telephone while he was on a recent two-week visit to Washington.

Question: We've condemned the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. But
some Muslims still fear a possible military attack on Afghanistan
by the U.S. What are your comments?

Answer: Based on what I see from developments (in the U.S.) it
seems that the possibility of a military attack on Afghanistan is
still at the rhetorical stage. They (the Americans) are
apparently looking for a clearer definition of terrorism and who
the terrorists are. After the attacks, world leaders, including
U.S. President George W. Bush and UK Prime Minister Tony Blair,
stated for the first time that there must be a clear distinction
made between terrorists and Muslim society. They are apparently
aware that it is impossible to brand all the one billion Muslims
in the world as terrorists.

You see the developments as positive?

Very positive. Because they had never made such a statement
before the New York and Pentagon incidents. There is even a new
tendency among American politicians, including senators, to
protect Muslims. We must welcome such new developments.

Is it true that many Muslims have experienced harassment in
the U.S. after the tragedy?

There have been some cases of harassment but their numbers are
very small. Americans feel bound to laws, so there is no hunt for
Muslims here.

Now that President Megawati Soekarnoputri has signed the
International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of
Terrorism, should Indonesia support the U.S. if it attacks
Afghanistan?

No. Americans themselves actually want to pinpoint and nab the
suspected terrorists without having to cause trouble in
Afghanistan. They are now facing difficulties in finding hard
proof to show that people like Osama bin Laden are the real
perpetrators of the terrorist attacks. If they can find hard
evidence, they will still have to show it in their meeting with
other members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

If they do it properly, we should give them moral support in
fighting terrorism. Terrorism is contradictory to Islam.
According to Islam, even when Muslim troops are engaged in war,
they are not allowed to kill women, children, old people or
animals. They are not allowed to cut trees or destroy buildings.

The Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI), besides condemning the
terrorist attacks, called on Muslims for a jihad should the U.S.
and its allies attack Afghanistan. What are your comments?

Such a popular reaction is just a reflection of an uninformed
solidarity. Muslims, deemed by Allah as just according to the
Koran, should be fair. We must realize that not only non-Muslims
have become the victims of terrorist attacks. Muslim leaders,
such as former Egyptian president Anwar Sadat, have also become
victims of such attacks.

So what should the reaction of Muslims be?

We must uphold the teachings of the Koran. It says that a
criminal act should be punished accordingly but patience is
recommended in the search for a more peaceful solution. We should
not be influenced by personal, social or historical experiences.

Muslims must be able to transcend themselves above personal
sentiments, meaning that we must leave our personal, social and
historical experiences behind and then try to implement the
teachings of the Koran and Prophet Muhammad.

How do you view the protests against the planned U.S. attacks
on Afghanistan?

They could be counterproductive. It is also against the
teachings of the Koran, which says: Do not exceed the
restrictions of your religion. That is only possible if they are
careful in following the Koran ...

Acts of terrorism have also occurred here. Can we learn from
America's experience?

Indonesia should ... uphold justice. Terrorism in stems from
the injustice introduced by the Soeharto regime ... Indonesians,
overwhelmed with corruption cases, have become morally bankrupt.
We can therefore see that during this economic crisis, when tens
of millions of people are living under the poverty line,
exhibitors have been able to sell a large number of luxury cars.

We must hold up justice, which is equivalent to peace.