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Joko Harmono, Tuesday August
13, 2002 After a week of
terror at the hands of the Laskar Jihad, the Christians are bathing in a sea
of fire. This
is bringing to pass the prophetic announcement pre-recorded message broadcast
on Radio SPMM Ambon on July 5, 2002 and distributed by email print-out from
the Laskar Jihad Information site in mid July 2002. The Supreme Commander of
the Laskar Jihad Ustadz Jafar Umar Thalib, using the same language used in
his radio address in Ambon on May 1, 2002 called on the Muslim community to
go to war against the Christian community: “Prepare the bombs which we have. Prepare the
ammunition which we are ready to vomit forth from the barrels of the weapons
we possess. And we swear by Allah! By Allah! By Allah! Until Tentena and
surroundings become a sea of fire.” The vision is clear and their commitment to bring it to
pass is unquestioned. They are willing, and often eager, to die for their
faith because of what they have been promised by their faith. To die as a
martyr in the battle while killing Christians or Jews brings the highest
rewards – immediate entrance to Paradise with 72 eternally beautiful virgins,
land as far as the eye can sea, alcohol that doesn’t make you drunk and music
such as has never been heard on earth. When the alternative is living in
poverty, dying of starvation and no prospect of employment, then the option
to join the jihad looks very attractive indeed. What makes it even more
attractive is that they are paid, are allowed to claim the booty of war, and
if they die, their family will be well looked after by the local mosque. What a
great way to die! Adventure! Honor! Wealth! Security! Purpose! Salvation!
Eternal sex! Wow! Who wouldn’t want to join? Since
Ustadz Jafar Umar Thalib’s Declaration of War the fires have been lit,
fanned and now run wild like an uncontrollable forest fire. In the
past 8 months violations of the Malino Peace Accord signed last December to
end three years of conflict have steadily increased numerically and in their
intensity. These were still small-scale fires, but the match was lit and the
fire was not quenched. In the
last two weeks, the fire has burst into a full-scale sea of fire. Murders and
attacks in Mayoa to the south of Tentena. The razing to the ground of the
villages of Matako, Betania-Malitu, Sepe and Silanca, the torture and
massacre of Christians pulled from public buses and private vehicles has left
a trail of blood in recent days, and the fire rages on. The Promise of
the Malino Peace Treaty
Malino
breathed hope into the hearts of the Christian community, that maybe at last
the persecution and brutal attacks would cease. But within two weeks 5
churches in the capital of the Province, Palu, were bombed on New Year’s Eve
and New Year’s Day (2001-2002). The accused mastermind, one of the Muslim
signatories to the Malino Accord, was arrested. At
Malino the Government made a commitment to arrest and process every case
violating the Peace Accord. Every violation would be treated as a criminal
case and dealt with firmly according to the law. But what has happened?
Christian buses get blown up. Christian villages get looted, then burned to
the ground. Christians in vehicles get pulled out, tortured and slain.
Foreign tourists get murdered. And no-one gets arrested. “Unidentified
people” are accused. Cabinet Minister Yusuf Kalla, as reported in The
Jakarta Post, Sunday August 11, stated that it can’t be radical Muslims
doing it as “it is not their style.” He further elaborated that it wasn’t
locals either. Well, who is it? How can
there be a restoration of peace and security if there is no enforcement of
law and order? Why can’t this
terror be stopped?
There
are two realistic possible options. 1.
There is a grand conspiracy One
theory for the ongoing conflict and the inability of the government, the
military and the police to stop the terror is the conspiracy option. On
August 11, before the latest attacks on Sepe and Silanca I commented on this
possible option in an article called, Christian Villages Terrorized:
Military Secretly Withdrawn In that article I commented on the reporting of The Jakarta
Post: The daily newspaper The
Jakarta Post today, Sunday August 11, quoted a statement by the Minister
for Health & Social Welfare, that he doubted the shooting of the Italian
Lorenzo Taddei in Mayoa, the district of Poso, on Thursday evening, was
carried out by a militant Muslim group because, "It is not their style". The report from The
Jakarta Post continued with
a statement from the Minister which said that the murderers were not people
from Central Sulawesi. “This is terror that is coming from outside the
Province”, he explained. If the perpetrators are not
Jihad or from militant Islamic groups, if they are not people from Central
Sulawesi, if they are terrorists from outside of Central Sulawesi, then who
are they? We need to know! To say that “this is not their
style” in connection with the Jihad, is startling! I
further commented on a quoted statement by the Military Commander Wirabuana Maj. Gen. Amirul Isnaini in Makassar,
South Sulawesi: The Jakarta Post
yesterday, Saturday (10/8) quoted the former head of the Special Military
Forces who is now the Commander of Wirabuana in Makassar, South Sulawesi,
saying that there are about 50 foreigners who live in Poso using tourist
visas and they are there with “reasons that are unclear”. This statement is
very provocative and is used by the jihad to justify their presence in Poso,
for the sake of the defence of the Poso Muslims. Are there two armies in our nation? The Laskar Jihad and
the Indonesian Army? Where are the 50 foreigners? Who are they? Please, Gen. Isnaini, please tell us! We need
to know! Investigations in the area
shows that occasionally there are foreign tourists who come to Tentena from
Toraja or other cities. Sometimes they come in groups of two, sometimes more.
But 50! The hotels in Tentena would be overrun if that many people came all
at the one time. And if they did come, shouldn’t it be something quite
normal? Tentena, together with Toraja, is promoted overseas as a tourist
destination and the government always reports to investors and overseas
governments that peace has been restored. Don’t we have the Malino Agreement and haven’t the
military guaranteed peace and safety? Is it not only right that tourists
should come here? Or should we tell the world, “Don’t come to Indonesia. It’s
not safe!” Two days in a row The Jakarta
Post has carried these very provocative news reports. What is their
agenda? Is there a conspiracy in the Government, for example, between the
Minister for Health & Social Welfare Yusuf Kalla and the Indonesian Army,
or perhaps with Major General Amirul Isnaini to purposely provide news that
creates an impression that it is not the jihad terrorists that have killed
the Italian tourist and even providing news that leads to the impression that
maybe it is the foreigners, the tourists, not the local people, not the
Muslim militants who are behind the terror that is taking place in Poso
recently. This is too much! Then in
a third quote by the same newspaper they quote the Chief of Staff of the
Indonesian Army, Gen. Ryamizard Ryacudu to indicate that foreign tourists
could be involved in the Poso conflict questioning the presence of the slain
Italian tourist, adding, “It is not clear if Lorenzo was one of these
foreigners.” This
sort of reporting makes the Christian community very uncomfortable and
suspicious as though there is a grand design between certain elements of the
Press, the Military and the Government to form public opinion against the
Christians in support of the agenda of the Islamic radicals rampaging out of
control in our country. Is there another option? 2. The
security forces are incapable of quenching the flames This
second option questions whether the Indonesian security forces are just
totally incapable or are so compromised that they are unable to provide and
guarantee security. Are the
intelligence branches of the security forces just lacking in intelligence or
do they face a real crisis of compromised faith? I want
to give the security forces the benefit of the doubt. I don’t want to raise
the option of corruption on a wide-scale and using the suffering of the
people as an opportunity to make money on the black market. There maybe a few
like that, but I can’t believe that the security forces are that greedy. I
believe that they are sincere and they love the country. But are they
compromised by their faith? During
the Soeharto years and the running of the P4 program which instilled
devoutness of faith in every citizen as a part of commitment to the national
philosophy of Pancasila and Unity in Diversity. Every
member of the security forces has to be committed to his or her faith. Since
85% of the security forces are Muslims, they are taught to be faithful to
their religion and their country. Then a
conflict occurs, for example, in Ambon or Poso, where there are strong
religious elements involved. A jihad is declared. What can be done by these
Muslims who are in the security forces? Jihad, in its various forms, is a
valid part of their faith. To fight against fellow Muslims on a jihad is to
fight against Allah. If one becomes the enemy of Allah then there is no
possibility of salvation and one is condemned to the fires of hell for all
eternity. Minimally,
these Muslim members of the security forces are compromised. Do they love
Indonesia? Yes, they do. Do they support the national philosophy and
commitment to unity in diversity? Yes, they do. But they don’t want to burn
in eternal torment in the fires of hell the Al Qu’ran and The
Haddiths promises to all who fight against jihad. So they withdraw. They
will not fight the jihad forces marching on a Christian village. The
Christians are left to resist automatic weapons with bamboo sticks, stones
and machete knives. Unfortunately,
the minimum for some is not sufficient. They too get caught up in the call to
jihad and the promised guarantees of eternal life and pleasure for them and
their families. To win is glory and to die in a jihad is even more glorious.
That’s why so many members of the security forces have been so actively
involved in the massacres against the Christians. Are
they just plain evil people? No! At least not any more than any other human
being of any religious faith. They are just compromised or captivated by the
teachings of their faith. What is
the solution? I would
like to suggest two possibilities. Firstly,
our Government must bring an understanding to the security forces that these
attacks and massacres are criminal acts that endanger the stability and
future of the nation. All criminal acts must be dealt with by law, whatever
their religious faith and whatever their social or political position. The
current activities are not just anti-Christian, they are anti-Indonesia. It
threatens the economic recovery. It prolongs the suffering of the poor. It
makes our country a laughing stock among the nations. Our
country and its constitution guarantees freedom of religion and tolerance of
the beliefs of others. We support the principles of Human Rights and Freedom
of Choice for all. If we
are to live as a civilized society in the community of nations, the security
forces must see that standing up against jihad terrorism is not anti-Allah,
but anti-terrorism and anti-evil. If the
security forces cannot accept that then it proves that they are so totally
compromised that they have become unable and unwilling to be a truly
Indonesian Defence Force but instead have become an Islamic Defence Force.
Which is it to be? The
second possibility is that the Government recognizes the innate weakness of
the security forces (military and police) to carry out their national duties
in a religious conflict and to look for an international partner to assist
them. Does
this bring shame on Indonesia? No way! It just recognizes like any mature
person, family or nation, that we live in an international community and that
sometimes we need some friends to help us through a difficult time. This is
just such a difficult time. Let us
not let the innocents suffer any longer. Let’s get real. Let’s invite the UN
to be a partner with us. There is no shame in this. In fact the world
community will praise us for our maturity and commitment to resolving a very
complex problem. It is time for us to grow up as a nation. Under Sukarno we
were infants. Under Soeharto we were wild teenagers. But now – it is time for
us to be adults and join the world community. |
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