ABC AUSTRALIA, 14/10/2002
INDONESIA: Focus on fundamentalist cleric
The group in the spotlight after the weekend bomb blasts throughout Indonesia is the
radical Islamic group Jemaah Islamiah, which has the support of Indonesia's leading
fundamentalist cleric.
BASHIR: "Physically, I don't have any association with Al-Qaeda, but I regard Osama
bin Laden and Al-Qaeda as upholding Islam. As well as the Taliban. So as a person of
faith, it is my obligation to praise them and sympathise with them and there is little I
can do otehr than through my words and prayers. But I will always defend them
because they are trying to establish an Islamic state."
GIBSON: Abu Bakar Bashir, the Indonesian cleric who heads a boarding school in
central Java province and heads the radical Mujahadeen Council, spoke to Asia
Pacific last year. He is also alleged to be involved through Jemaah Islamiah to Osama
bin Laden's al-Qaeda network.
Jemaah Islamiah is allegedly a group that wants to establish an Islamic state across
Southeast Asia. It shot to international attention with the arrest last December of a
number of terror suspects in Singapore. They were allegedly planning truck bomb
attacks were found with video footage of military facilities and embassies in
Singapore, including the Australian High Commission.
There have since been claims of links between al-Qaeda, the Jemaah Islamiah,
Laskhar Jihad and the Islam Defenders Front in Indonsia, the Kumpulan Mujahadeen
Malaysia and the Abu Sayyaf in the Philippines.
This year, just before the anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, a
captured al-Qaeda operative Omar al-Faruq confessed to US authorities that he had
planned car and truck bomb attacks with Jemaah Islamiah on US embassies, leading
to a heightened state of emergency.
The incident heightened security alerts on the anniversary, and saw the closure of
Australia's embassy in the East Timorese capital Dili.
A grenade outside the US embassy in the capital Jakarta, and threats against
westerners in the central Java town of Yogyakarta, prompted more security fears and
tension between the US and Indonesia over terrorism.
Indonesian President Megawati Sukarnoputri has been seen as less than keen to act
on Washington's terror agenda.
Vice-President Hamzah Haz - himself the leader of the Islamic United Development
Party which is pushing for the introduction of Sharia law - saying no real evidence had
been presented.
However, former President Abdurrahman Wahid has called for a crackdown on the
radical groups.
WAHID: "You know that, according to our law, people cannot carry guns. Firearms.
Also people cannot carry swords and traditional weapons. And then also, especially
bombs, homemade bombs. Now they are used, built by those people. Yes. But the
government is afraid of them, because they need them. Like, Megawati needs
Hamzah Haz."
GIBSON: The vast majority of Muslims in Indonesia are moderate and want to live in a
secular state. But there are fears that the stigmatisation of Muslims that has taken
place with the US-led war on terror has worsened the situation, and made the words
of radical Muslim figures such as Abu Bakar Bashir resonate with a wider audience.
BASHIR: "I hate the American Government but not the American people because they
are being manipulated by Jews to fight against Islam. I very much hate the attitude of
Megawati's Government because it is a secular government, although she is
outwardly a Muslim, she is stupid and does not understand Islam properly. So
Megawati's attitude and her acceptance of anti-terrorism aid from the United States is
a great disaster for Muslims."
 listen
Presenter/Interviewer: Sarah Gibson
Speakers: Indonesian Islamic cleric, Abu Baku Bashir
14/10/2002 | ABC Radio Australia News
© 2001 Australian Broadcasting Corporation |
