Mission to Ambon
Jakarta, May 1, 2002
Love and greetings in Christ!
In another 3 hours Annette and I fly to Ambon. In the last week several more Christian
villages have been attacked with some 15 Christians and scores of houses burned
down. The Islamic propaganda machine is well oiled. As soon as they attack and
destroy a Christian village, miles from Islamic areas, they immediately blame the
Christians. Sometimes they quote some incident by the Dutch pre-1945 as their
justification for launching the attack.
Sometimes they accuse Christians of being separatist and that they raise a flag of the
South Maluku Republic (RMS). Indeed some do out of frustration with a government
who they believe sends troops to defend them who then join in the jihad against the
Christians. They ask why they should stay in a country where the government offers
them no protection. At the other end of Indonesia, the Aceh Independence Movement
(GAM) freely flies their flag without any attacks by Jihad Militia or Government Troops.
A Christian, Alex Manuputty, raises the Maluku flag and gets imprisoned and charged
with treason. The Islamic Jihad leader, Jafar Umar Thalib, calls for a massacre of
Christians, is free to travel and is welcomed into the office of the Vice-President.
The Church where we are to have our Pastors’ Seminar was bombed with a
mortar last Sunday morning. Miraculously it did not explode and no one was injured.
Another Church was hit and the mortar exploded but by the grace of God it was just
before people began to arrive for the service. The organizers considered canceling the
seminar and our trip, but Monday morning more pastors were registering to attend and
the number of registrants had exceeded 400 – from many different denominations.
Evidence that the Lord is in this trip is the fact that the Government has banned
foreigners from coming in and is even considering the imposition of total martial law
and military rule, yet the Governor extended to us a personal invitation and exemption.
In the face of all the ongoing attacks, and that it has now been more than 3 years that
these vicious attacks have raged against the Church, we believe that the time is right
for a real breakthrough in the unity of the Church in Maluku. Jesus said that a
kingdom divided against itself cannot stand, and it is time that the Body of Christ took
a hold of this truth, and realized that in unity there is victory, release, revival, blessing
and life.
In the midst of this crisis we have seen great grace. During the last 15 months we
have witnessed over 8000 give their lives to Christ. These are truly harvest days.
Below we have added three documents that summarize the Islamic attitude at this
time and in particular that of the Laskar Jihad (Jihad Warriors) led by Jafar Umar
Thalib. As we go again into this war zone, please pray for us that the grace of the
Lord will continue to be with us and that we can be His hands extended to this
suffering community of believers.
Indonesia for Christ,
Jeff & Annette Hammond
The following documents give an insight into the Islamic thought in Indonesia and the
position of their leadership at this present time.
The Final Crusade
Monday, December 24, 2001
Events post September 11 are no war on terrorism. They are a much wider Crusade
against Islam and its targets are Muslims. Even a superficial analysis of events
confirms this.
Coalition alliance
It simply cannot be the case that an alliance of some 40 of the most powerful nations
with all their wealth, military might, intelligence and propaganda resources have
mobilised against one man in a cave with a few hundred followers. Nor is such a force
required to defeat a lightly armed militia force such as the Taliban. This is the largest
coalition since the Second World War. Such a mobilisation did not even take place
initially against the might of the Nazi military machine. Yet, Osama Bin Laden has
become a bigger threat to world peace than Hitler. Why?
Budget of billions
President Bush has been provided with a budget of £40 billion dollars to fight this
war. Add to this the intelligence, military and diplomatic resources of the other
nations. Which army, government or system, are they fighting that requires such
immense resources?
Laws
Laws have been introduced, the most stringent and restrictive in the history of
Western democracies. Political activity is to be restricted and support of liberation
causes can now be classed as terrorism. Laws on internment in Britain and military
tribunals in the US, will mean the indefinite detention without trial of suspects leading
to death sentences in the US.
Target
Even at the height of the Cold War such resources were not mobilised against the
Soviet Union and Communism. Who is all this aimed at? Clearly not neo Nazis, the
BNP, Combat 18, the IRA, animal rights extremists, anti-globalisation protestors, or
the peace movement. Osama Bin Laden is guilty without trial, the Taliban guilty by
association, the Mujahideen who fought the Soviet Union are all members of Al-Qaeda
without evidence.
Somalia, Sudan, Iraq, Yemen, Chechnya, Kashmir and Hizbullah, Philippines,
Indonesia, all linked to Bin Laden, without evidence. Who are the 1100 individuals
arrested in the US and dozens in the United Kingdom?. To date only one individual
has been charged (only recently) with the attacks on September 11.
No Trials
All this without evidence, no need for a trial. Trials by media, accusation, and out of
context statements are sufficient for Muslims. Just for good measure, abandon the
rules of war and exterminate Muslim prisoners too, they’re all guilty. And Mullah
Omar must be brought to justice too (for defending his own land and demanding a fair
trial for Bin Laden). All Muslims, doesn’t really matter!
And which religion has been on trial in the media since September 11, not Christianity
or Judaism, Hinduism or even secularism? How come every Muslim has been forced
to defend their beliefs and faith since September 11? Unprecedented media debate
and attacks on Islam, forcing us to defend Islam for supposedly sanctioning the
attacks. Its as if all Muslims are guilty, so is our religion.
Which religion are politicians, statesman and royals trying to redefine?
Sheikh Bin Blair tells Muslims they must abandon militant Islam and embrace a
moderate Islam. After all they managed to redefine Islam under British India. Political
Islam is unacceptable but political Christianity and political Judaism (Zionism) is
acceptable. They accuse us of treason and demand oaths of allegiance, something
they never demanded from anyone else, not even those die-hard communists.
Whose legitimate charities, organisations and banks, are being unlawfully seized to
pay for this war, under the excuse of supporting terrorism, (without evidence of
course)? Whose media and websites are being bombed and closed down to prevent
the truth of events emerging? This, whilst Christian and international charities and
organisations operate freely in Afghanistan and the Muslim world, many conducting
their missionary activities under the guise of aid.
And if this was simply a war against terror why do the Western media boast about
liberating Kabul, and rejoice and inflate stories of burka’s being thrown off, beards
being shaved? Why do they talk of imposing their values on the Muslim world? They
went to rescue women from sharia, we are told. Mrs Blair joins the campaign for
women ‘s rights. They champion the undefined rights of Muslim women, whilst
denying them the most basic of all rights; the right to life, and food and shelter and
freedom from the terror of B52 bombers and cluster bombs.
Which religion is being denounced for endorsing violence and terror?
They want us to abandon our duty to defend ourselves through Jihad and tell us we
should engage in the greater Jihad. Yet they have the right to defend themselves from
attack. They have the right to vengeance against those who attacked them. When the
Church of England General Synod declares the war against Afghanistan as justified,
and the Zionist Israelis adhere to the principles of an eye for an eye based on the Old
Testament, nobody associates violence with their religion.
Terrorism is now shorthand for Islam and Muslims.
We are told the terror of the IRA and ETA and the armed Christian militias in the US
are different kinds of terrorists. Only a fool couldn’t work out that the difference is
that they are not Muslims. When Muslims endorse the right to defend ourselves, and
resistance from attack, and occupation, we are labelled terrorists (even though the
Geneva Conventions distinguish between terrorism and resistance movements).
This is no war on terrorism. It is the beginnings of a Final Crusade against Islam and
Muslims.
The laws and plans, military and otherwise, being introduced, are preparations for a
wider war (Afghanistan is just the beginning). All the targets are Muslim. Our crime is
that our faith is Islam. For this crime no evidence is required.
We are all guilty.
We will all be prosecuted, first the "extremists", then the "moderates", then the
cultural Muslims, and finally those in name only. They will use one "type" of Muslim
to weaken the other, Musharaf and the Northern Alliance against the Taliban, Arafat
against Hamas, spiritual and missionary Muslims against Jihadis, Sufis against
Wahhabis, Shia against Sunni, moderate Shias against the "mullahs" and so on.
They will attack one Muslim country after the other. All this will go on whilst heads of
Muslim states side with the Western Crusading Alliance, but not one Western State
will side with the Muslims. By the time Muslims wake up to this reality, it will be too
late to use their armed forces.
We are witnessing the beginning of the Final Crusade against Muslims.
Its image is new, but its roots, aims and methods are the same as all the other
Crusades, in the words of the Quran: "they will never be satisfied with you until you
follow their form of religion". This is a war against 1.5 billion followers of the Islamic
faith. A war the West believes it can win and Muslims are reluctant even to prepare
for. (Source: Ummah News) http://www.taliban-news.com/article.php?sid=112
Jafar Umar Thalib Calls for War
On Friday, 26th of April 2002, the leader of the Laskar Jihad (Jihad Militia) in the
Maluku islands held a mass meeting in Ambon. About 20,000 Muslims were present.
They heard Ja'far call for the beginning of civil war in Maluku. He called upon the
Muslims of Maluku:
* To prepare for war against a mostly Christian separatist group. "We will promote a
civil war to wipe out the separatist RMS” he stated. The Maluku conflict he
claimed was a vertical conflict between the state of Indonesia and the RMS
separatists. It was not a horizontal conflict. The waving of the RMS flag proved this.
* To reject the recent peace deal between Muslims and Christians that had mostly
stemmed three years of religious fighting in the region.
* To reject reconciliation. "From today, we will no longer talk about reconciliation," he
said.
* To prepare weapons. "Our ... focus now must be preparing for war — ready your
guns, spears and daggers," Thalib said.
* To guard unity among Muslims and allow no division.
He made accusations.
* That the Christians started the conflict. Jafar Umar Thalib said that Christians began
the rebellion with the Idul Fitri incident on 19 Januari 1999, in an effort to break away
from Indonesia.
* That the Government covered up the separatists’ existence. He claimed that the
government had covered up the existence of the RMS separatist movement.
* That the army was weak. "The Indonesian Army only shot at the balloons. No one
was brave enough to shoot the traitors to this nation," he said. The inability of the
army to do anything demonstrated their lack of capability to defend the nation.
* That there were attempts to sell Maluku to foreigners, the same as in East Timor.
"And until now, the government is still attempting to cover up this reality," he said.
* That the raising of the RMS flag was an insult and a threat to the integrity of the
Indonesian state.
* That the 35 members of the Christian delegation who took part in the Malino II
agreement were hypocrites.
When asked about the accusations that he was a provocateur, Ustadz Ja'far
confessed to being proud of it. He stated that he would continue to call for war against
the rebels, because he was defending the nation against traitors. "I am ready to be
held to account for this," he affirmed.
The Jihad response on their website was: “Indeed there is only one word with
which to face the RMS. Jihad fisabilillah! Jihad in the way of Allah!”
The Islamic Community of Maluku Declares War Against Separatism throughout all
Indonesia
(29/04/2002) In a meeting with Muslim leaders and commanders of jihad posts in the
city of Ambon (28/4), Jafar Umar Thalib claimed that Muslims have always been
forced into a corner by the accusation that they oppose the state or that they are
rebels.
* Under the Old Order: Muslims who wanted to implement syariah law faced the
excuse that Indonesia was not a religious nation.
* Under the New Order: Muslims were always forced into a corner by accusations of
being anti Pancasila.
* Now: the Christian groups who have been accusing the Muslims of being rebels,
have proven their rebellion against the state of Indonesia.
He also explained that the struggle in Maluku would go through three phases, that is,
* Civil war
* Civil justice
* Civil reconciliation
"Civil reconciliation will take place when the leaders and intellectual actors
responsible for the slaying of Muslims are brought to justice and are dealt with by the
people," said Ustadz Ja'far. He said, the dignity of the Muslim community was based
on science (the Koran dan the Hadiths) and good works based on that science. "This
is what differentiates between the Muslims and the Jews who have science but not
good works and the Christians who have good works but no science, " he claimed.
And jihad, firmly stated Ustadz Ja'far, is the highest peak of good works. The Muslim
community, he added, apart from possessing human rights, also possessed basic
responsibilities, that is, to guard the nation and the state from the wiles of the heathen
because this country is a Muslim country.
Another speaker claimed that up until now the facts of Maluku history had been
covered up and manipulated by Christian intellectuals. "So I call upon Muslims to
guard their unity in confronting the evil designs of the heather." Another said that in
the struggle, there are three things that must be firmly held by the Muslim
community: Strong teaching, Strong unity, Strong weapons.
"Therefore, the Islamic community must hold firmly to syariah Islam and carry it out
faithfully in every day life," said a leader of the Islamic Religious School (STAIN) in
Ambon. In this meeting, the Muslim community also took an oath demanding the
implementation of syariah law and syariah regulations. Maluku Muslims and the
Indonesian Islamic community declares war against RMS in Maluku and all other
forms of separatism, like
* The Free Aceh Movement in Aceh - Gerakan Aceh Merdeka (GAM)
* The Free Papua Organisation in Irian Jaya - Organisasi Papua Merdeka (OPM)
This civil war will not be stopped until all separatist movements are wiped off the face
of Indonesia.
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