The Jakarta Post, January 07, 2006
Terror must be 'overcome by non-violence'
Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
Indonesia must be very cautious in the fight against terrorism, otherwise its efforts
could be counterproductive and create more problems, George Soros, on a visit to
Indonesia, told a news conference here on Friday.
Terrorism, he said, could only be overcome by a non-violent approach rather than a
military one.
"Terrorism is unacceptable because it kills innocent people for political goals, which is
a crime against humanity. We must avoid doing the same thing.
"When you want to wage war (against terrorism), you'd set up a vicious circle.
Because people will feel the same way about you like you do about terrorists," said
Soros, who was blamed by former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohammad for
Asia's monetary crisis in 1997. The allegations were never proven, however.
Soros, the chairman of the Open Society Foundation and president of Soros Fund
Management, spoke to journalists after holding a closed-door meeting with former
president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid and several leaders of Indonesia's five
officially recognized religions, including Muslim scholars Masdar Farid Mas'udi and
Siti Musdah Mulia, and Ismartono and Jan Aritonang representing Christianity.
Soros' own religion, Judaism, however, is not recognized in this country. The meeting
was hosted by the Wahid Institute, which is led by Gus Dur's daughter, Zannuba
"Yenny" Arifah Chafsah.
Soros said the meeting was aimed at identifying and learning about the obstacles
being faced by the Indonesian people, particularly within the context of global politics
and economics.
"The people (leaders) I met today understand that Islam for peace is a better way to
respond to terrorist attacks, like what happened in Jordan and Madrid in Spain after
the terrorists struck. I think there is a better understanding of fighting terrorism in
Indonesia than in the Bush administration," he said.
Known as a critic of the George W. Bush administration, Soros said he felt that he
had every right to comment on the affairs of the United States as a citizen.
"I really feel quite distressed that people in America actually don't understand the
concept of open society. Had they stood up for those principles, they would've
rejected President Bush," he said.
He said he had been a vocal critic of the war against terror as it was being pursued by
the United States.
"I do not believe that democracy and open society should be done by force. Each
country should decide for themselves. I believe it's necessary to protect the concept
of establishing open society in the most developed country in the world, that is, the
United States," said Soros, whose foundation funds a number of Indonesian civil
society empowerment groups, such as the Tifa Foundation.
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