The Jakarta Post, December 08, 2003
Bridging Islam, the West vital in fighting terrorism
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Efforts to bridge the gap between the Islamic world and the West are needed to ease
the anxiety within the Muslim community following the global war on terrorism, a
minister said.
Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
said while the fight against terrorism over the past two years had unified countries
across the world, it had sparked restlessness in the Islamic world.
In his keynote speech at the opening of the general conference of the Council for
Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific (CSCAP), Susilo warned that the ongoing
war on terrorism could create new tensions if it was poorly handled.
"That is why we must recognize the long-term strategic importance of promoting
interfaith dialog and efforts to bridge the Islamic world and the West," he said.
The ongoing global campaign against terrorism has put the Muslim community to the
test as there are perceptions that the West connects Islam to terrorism.
Despite repeated claims that the war against terrorism is not targeting Islam, in reality
it is the Muslim community that is being scrutinized in many parts of the world. The
practice has sparked anger among moderate Indonesian Muslim leaders, who
formerly had stood behind the U.S.-led campaign against terrorism.
"Throughout the Islamic world, there is a battle for the soul of Islam between nations
and within nations... How these battles find political and social expression will
determine the political landscape of the region," he said.
The growing restlessness within the Islamic communities will continue to be fueled by
what is happening in the Arab-Israeli conflict.
"It's sad that the "road map" sponsored by the U.S., EU, Russia and the UN has not
made significant mileage and indeed at the present moment it seems to be running
out of steam," Susilo said.
Indonesia, Susilo said, has been trying to bring the Islamic world and the West
closer, the latest effort being a meeting between visiting U.S. President George W.
Bush and Indonesia's Muslim leaders in Bali on Oct. 22.
Speaking in a separate forum in Denpasar, Bali earlier in the day, Susilo said
Indonesia was joining forces with other countries around the world in hunting down
terrorist suspects.
Susilo said the world had identified 90 terrorist suspects who remained at large in the
country, including 10 members of the Jamaah Islamiyah (JI).
The al-Qaeda-linked JI is said to have masterminded the Bali blasts in October last
year and the JW Marriott Hotel Jakarta bombing in August this year, claiming 214
lives in total.
"People should stay on alert as we do not know exactly how many of them there are.
Some of them are still on the run, like Dr. Azahari and Noordin Mohd. Top," Susilo
was quoted by Antara while addressing the forum United in Diversity at the Bali
International Convention Center (BICC) in Nusa Dua.
He also warned that the threat of terrorism was looming large ahead of the 2004
elections, with the aim of destabilizing the country.
"The threats of separatism, terrorism and extremism are undermining the
government's efforts to lead the country out of the crisis," he said.
No less than 180,000 police and a back-up force of 26,000 military troops will
safeguard the elections next year, which will start from the campaign period in March
and will almost certainly close in September with the second-round of the presidential
election.
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