From: "Joshua Latupatti" joshualatupatti@hotmail.com
Date: Thu, 31 Jan 2002 11:25:29 +0000
LASKAR JIHAD IS THE INDONESIAN AL QAEDA! (01)
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What really is "laskar jihad"? Is it connected to Al Qaeda? Why does it seem to be
protected by Indonesia's government? What is the "laskar mujahidin"? Are these two
laskars related? Do they have relationship with Al Qaeda? Are they connected to the
other international terrorism network? In fact they are in Maluku fighting Christians and
Indonesia's government seem to justify their actions and let the mystery of the former
RMS (Republic of South Maluku) hang in the air to cover their nastiness in there.
We may never hold any hard evidence on the connection of "laskar jihad" and Osama
bin Laden's Al Qaeda in our hands, but there are many circumstantial evidences that
we are to see in this discussion. So, lets begin our discussion with a quote from the
New York Times about "laskar jihad"!
THE NEW YORK TIMES; WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2002
Still, in recent interviews, several American and foreign officials said there was no hard
evidence of links between Al Qaeda and Laskar Jihad, and it was not placed on the
Bush administration's list of terrorist organizations.
JOSHUA:
The above statement is unfortunately, true, especially related to evidence that shows
a direct link between "laskar jihad" and Al Qaeda! This situation should not be of any
surprise if we look at the following quote:
ASSOCIATED PRESS; WEDNESDAY JANUARY 23, 2002 2:06 PM ET
The incident, which was not made public earlier, highlighted the ambivalent attitude of
Indonesia's government and military toward foreign and domestic Islamic radicals who
reportedly assisted the al-Qaida team (Five suspected members of Osama bin Laden
(news web sites)'s al-Qaida network arrived in Indonesia from Yemen last July with
a plan to blow up the U.S. Embassy in Jakarta, was were let to escape).
JOSHUA:
How could we ever get to see any hard evidence while Indonesia's government has
done nothing to get one and keeps claiming "We have no evidence"? The question is,
"Is it possible link "laskar jihad" to Al Qaeda without a herd evidence?" This
discussion is intended to do so by analysing some statements and circumstances
regarding these two Islamic radical organizations.
THE JAKARTA POST, JANUARY 24, 2002
Laskar Jihad differs with al-Qaeda; Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta
Laskar Jihad, or the Jihad Force of the Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah Communication
Forum to give it its full name, has claimed that it supports any government efforts to
clamp down on the global al-Qaeda terrorist organization of Osama bin Laden.
JOSHUA:
In dealing with "laskar jihad", one should be in alert that he/she is dealing with
extremely insincere people. Jaf'ar Umar Thalib was among those hard-liner Islamic
leaders who strongly opposed the US plan to chase Osama bin Laden who was under
protection of Taliban regime in Afghanistan. He even threatened to launch attacks on
American facilities in Indonesia. Please highlight this since we will have more to say
about it in the next section.
THE JAKARTA POST, JANUARY 24, 2002
Ja'far, nevertheless, acknowledged that he met with Osama, the world's most wanted
man, in Peshawar, Pakistan, in 1987, and had the chance to have a discussion with
him. Ja'far claimed he has never met Osama since then.
LOS ANGELES TIMES, SEPTEMBER 23, 2001
Indonesian Extremist Backs Terror Southeast Asia:
The leader of the Laskar Jihad approves of the attacks on the U.S. but doesn't respect
Bin Laden.; By RICHARD C. PADDOCK, Times Staff Writer Ja'far said he met Bin
Laden in 1987 in Peshawar, Pakistan, after both had travelled there to help Islamic
rebels in neighboring Afghanistan fight invading Soviet troops. At the time, Bin Laden
did not have the long beard that connotes devotion to Islam. "He still had the jet-set
look," Ja'far said, noting Bin Laden's family wealth. "When I met him, he told me he
wanted to join the moujahedeen," Ja'far recalled. "I felt that he was actually empty. He
didn't have any knowledge about religion, but he had a lot of money."
REPUBLIKA; 2001-11-10
FKAWJ Dapat Dana dari Arab dan AS
Pertama adalah pertemuan Ketua Umum FKAWJ Jaffar Umar Thalib dengan Usamah
di Peshawar pada 1997. Pertemuan itu sendiri, kata Aip, hanyalah semacam seminar
dan tidak ada kontak lebih lanjut sejak itu. (they met in Peshawar at some kind of a
seminar, JL)
JOSHUA:
Here, we are told that the meeting took place in Peshawar, Pakistan. Two sources
indicates that they had a chance to have a long talk. Jaf'ar said that they were there
for the same reason, but bin Laden did not apear like a Moslem, who wanted to join
the Mujahidin movement. But, "laskar jihad's" leader, Ayip Syafruddin, claimed they
had a relatively short dialogue in a seminar. Thus, we have a 'long talk between Jaf'ar
with jet-set look Osama bin Laden who were about to join a radical Islamic group', and
'a short talk between them in a seminar', and Jaf'ar never saw him afterward. Both
version of meetings did not give a chance to Jaf'ar to get to know Al Qaeda. Let's have
a look at a different stories about the meeting.
ASSOCIATED PRESS; WEDNESDAY JANUARY 23, 2002 2:06 PM ET
Although he has repeatedly denied any ties to al-Qaida, Thalib has acknowledged that
he met bin Laden in Afghanistan. `(Thalib) is smart enough to pretend that he doesn't
have anything to do with Osama,'' the U.S. official said. ``But there's more than
enough circumstantial evidence that Laskar Jihad is part of a network of radical
groups'' in Southeast Asia.
DIVISI PENERANGAN DPP FKAWJ
Laskar Jihad Tidak Terkait Usamah bin Laden; Laskar Jihad Menjawab
Assalamu'alaikum, Begitupula dengan Usamah bin Laden. Ustadz Ja'far pernah
langsung berdialog dengan Usamah bin laden di Afghanistan dan mengetahui
organisasi yang di pimpin oleh Usamah bin Laden memiliki pemahaman khawarij.
Copyright © 2001 Laskar Jihad (Jaf'ar had a dialogue with bin Laden and found out
that he had adopted a 'khawarij' philosophy, unknown to true Islamic teachings, JL)
JOSHUA:
We are told here, that the meeting was in Afghanistan. In addition to that, the
information division of "laskar jihad" asserted that in in this 'Afhanistan meeting' did
Jaf'ar find out all about Al Qaeda. Which one is true? Are we to conclude that there
are two separate meetings and may be more? It is clear that anybody can find out
what Al Qaeda really is, without having to talk to Osama bin Laden. It is just a simple
truth that anybody could have long and continuous discussions with bin Laden and
does not get involved with Al Qaeda. What would these two leaders of "laskar jihad"
be so afraid of that they made up such confusing stories about the meeting, if in fact,
they are not related to Al Qaeda?
THE JAKARTA POST, JANUARY 24, 2002
It argued that al-Qaeda terrorists had practiced bid'ah, something not recognized in
Islamic teaching, by adopting terrorism as a means of achieving their goals. Laskar
Jihad commander Ja'far Umar Thalib asserted that his organization could not accept
the principles of and the way in which al-Qaeda operated and, therefore, it could not
be in any way linked with the group.
JOSHUA:
Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda were in a close bond with Taliban regime. If Al Qaeda
is practicing something not recognized in Islamic teaching (bid'ah) as Jaf'ar claimed,
what Taliban really was? Ja'far along with other Islamic leaders had frequently
asserted that Taliban regime was true Moslems, and therefore agreed to send
Indonesian Moslem fighters to join Taliban. If Jaf'ar was telling the truth, then we would
have heard him saying, "We would help Taliban, as long as they get rid of Al Qaedan
people!" Why didn't he say so? Because Al Qaeda was not practicing bid'ah as he
said! Jaf'ar was in great effort to wipe out the trace between "laskar jihad" and Al
Qaeda, even if he would have to lie for it.
THE JAKARTA POST, JANUARY 24, 2002
Speaking to The Jakarta Post at his home in Degolan village, some 13 kilometers
north of Yogyakarta, Ja'far said that al-Qaeda was quite reactionary, especially
against governments that were hostile to Islam. Al-Qaeda, according to Ja'far, also
adhered to the so-called khawarij principles that justified terrorism as a means of
achieving its goals.
JOSHUA:
If Al Qaeda was what Jaf'ar Umar Thalib said then he should have warned his followers
and Moslems in general about it. Why have we not heard such a warning before? If Al
Qaeda was a distorted Islamic group, why didn't we hear any protest from Jaf'ar Umar
Thalib against its terrorism activities under the banner of Islam? This may be
understood as Jaf'ar's attitude towards governments which are hostile to Islam. But,
why was he quiet still, when this Al Qaeda operated in a Islamic State like Pakistan
or Malaysia?
Look at Christians in Maluku and Poso! Weren't they terrorized by "laskar jihad's"
brutality? One of the Malaysian based terrorists of the "Kumpulan Mujahidin
Malaysia" (KMM), who blew up St. Anne Church and Atrium Plaza in Jakarta,
declared to have been helping "laskar jihad" in fighting Christians in Maluku. Can we
ever agree with Jaf'ar's statement implying that "laskar jihad" never justify terrorisms in
pursuing its goals. What different is there between Al Qaeda and "laskar jihad", as far
as terrorism is concerned? They are undoubtedly alike, and there should be at least a
fine thread between them! Now, let us look at the possible connection between "lsakr
jihad" and Al Qaeda from a different angle.
TEMPO MAGAZINE, NO. 04/II/OCTOBER 2-8, 2001
Indonesia's Afghan-Trained Mujahideen A story of Indonesia's own mujahideen.
One of those student mujahideen is Ustad Djafar Umar Thalib, the commander of
Laskar Jihad Ahlusunnah Wal Jamaah. Djafar was a student at the Al-Maududi
Institute of Islamic Studies when he decided to join the mujahideen in Afghanistan
following a quarrel with a faculty member.
JOSHUA:
This part tells us that "Jaf'ar Umar Thalib was a Mujahidin fighter in Afghanistan". In
many occasions, Jaf'ar denies that his "laskar jihad" group is dissimilar to the
Mujahidin fighters. How can a former Mujahidin fighter formed a similar militia group
then said it is ddifferent from the one he was trained in before?
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, Friday September 21, 2001 5:50 PM
The militant Laskar Jihad group, whose commander Jaffar Umar Thalib is a former
mujahideen fighter, publicly trained and paraded its fighters in Jakarta before sending
them to the Malukus in May 2000. Al Chaidar said the international mujahideen
network, made up of former fighters from Chechnya, Kashmir, the southern
Philippines, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, held meetings in Malaysia in 1999 and 2000
at which they pinpointed Indonesia as the ideal place to develop their movement.
"They called Indonesia the number one country in terms of looseness, corruption, and
instability. They decided it was very easy to infiltrate and a very good place to develop
themselves," he said.
JOSHUA:
Al Chaidar stated that Mujahidin is an international network, made up of former
fighters from Chechnya, Kashmir, the southern Philippines, Pakistan and Saudi
Arabia, and "laskar jihad" is linked to the network. He stated correctly, the condition
in Indonesia that could serve as a fertile land for terrorisms to grow. Now look at
another statement of Jaf'ar.
LOS ANGELES TIMES, SEPTEMBER 23, 2001
The deadly bombings of churches in 18 cities last Christmas Eve have sometimes
been blamed on Laskar Jihad. Ja'far denied responsibility for the attacks and said
they could have been the work of Indonesian terrorists linked to Bin Laden. Ja'far
confirmed Western intelligence suspicions that his group has ties to the Malaysian
Moujahedeen Group, sometimes known as KMM Jihad, an alleged terrorist group in
neighboring Malaysia. But he denied allegations that Laskar Jihad has links with any
terrorist organization in the Philippines, such as the Abu Sayyaf gang that has
kidnapped dozens of people for ransom, including several Americans.
JOSHUA:
Jaf'ar affirmed the possibility of a connection between Al Qaeda and the Malaysian
Mujahidin, KMM, but his "laskar jihad" is not related to the KMM. He also denied to
have any relationship with Abu Syayaf's terrorist group in the Philippines. It looks like
he is trying to tie every other radical Islamic groups but his "laskar jihad", to Al
Qaeda.
STRAIT TIMES, 18-09-01
Jakarta now under pressure to act; By Susan Sim
But in an interview with Tempo magazine a fortnight ago, Jafar claimed that it was the
Malaysian mujahideen group (Kumpulan Mujahideen Malaysia), formed by veterans of
the Afghan resistance like himself, which was part of Osama's network in this region.
This Malaysian group, he said, had an offshoot called Laskar Mujahideen, which is
active in north Maluku.
JOSHUA:
Relating the Christmas Eve bombings with to Al Qaeda through the KMM, Jaf'ar
claimed that this Al Qaeda associated KMM had operated in North Maluku. This may
be true if we look at Muhyi Effendie's suspicious policy in North Maluku. This acting
governor of North Maluku had closed down the province from outsiders other than
Afghans. He therefore, had to deport some Australian and New Zealander priests out
of the province under allegation of being foreign spy agents. Interestingly, a local
policeman told these priests that he just had to let some Afghans to walk freely
around the province. Were this international network of Muhajidin active in North
Maluku only? Jaf'ar seems to disagree with that.
SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST; 2001-09-17
Terror on our doorstep
"According to Jafar Umar Thalib, the KMM group has joined Osama bin Laden's
network . . in Indonesia, said Jafar, the KMM has already put down roots. The
organisation they have formed is the Laskar Mujahedeen . . . based in the Airkuning
region of Ambon," reported Tempo.
JOSHUA:
It was Jaf'ar himself that revoked his former assertion that the Mujahidin fighters were
active in North Maluku only. The area called 'Air Kuning' is the neighbour of
'Galunggung' and 'Kebun Cengkeh' areas where "laskar jihad's" head quarters is to be
found in Ambon. From the geographic point of view, could anybody claim that "laskar
jihad" does not have any connection with the "laskar Mujahidin", which Jaf'ar accused
to be related to Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda?
We are to find some circumstantial evidences that "laskar jihad" is in fact, related to
the international Mujahidin network and thus, is very much connected to Al Qaeda.
Before that let's get more support on the presence of Mujahidin in Maluku.
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL INTERACTIVE EDITION -- OCTOBER 1, 2001
Malaysian Security Officials Link Robbers to Indonesian Militant Sect
By LESLIE LOPEZ, JAY SOLOMON and RIN HINDRYATI Staff Reporters
In an interview, Mr. Abu Bakar admits to working in Malaysia as a trader and preacher
from 1989 through 1999, before returning to Indonesia to set up the Majelis Mujahidin
in the central Java city of Solo. Mr. Abu Bakar also acknowledges that his group
recruits volunteers to fight in the Maluku islands, and works with other Malaysian
groups to raise funds and volunteers for the Maluku anti-Christian campaign, which
has claimed thousands of lives over the past three years. But Mr. Abu Bakar denies
that the group he leads has any links with Malaysia's KMM.
JOSHUA:
We can now be sure that the international network of Mujahidin has reached Maluku,
as well as North Maluku. What Abubakar was just trying to do was in line with what
Jaf'ar was doing. They are wiping up Osama bin Laden's footprints next to theirs. As
Ja'far sits next to the Mujahidin group in Ambon, without even say hello to them, so
Abubakar works with Malaysian groups to set up another Mujahidin group in Solo, but
never meets the Malaysian Mujahidin, KMM. Now, let's goback to "laskar jihad"!
DEWAN PIMPINAN PUSAT FORUM KOMUNIKASI AHLUS SUNNAH WAL JAMAAH
Laskar Jihad Kembali Gelar Latgab;
Ambon, Laskarjihad.or.id (24/03/2001) Laskar Jihad Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jamaah
kembali menggelar Latihan Gabungan (Latgab). Latgab yang ketiga kalinya ini diikuti
sebanyak 1136 mujahidin yang berasal dari seluruh desa di kota Ambon dan
kecamatan Leihitu. Kegiatan itu sendiri berlangsung di komplek Pondok Pesantren Al
Muhajirin, di Kota Jawa, Kecamatan Baguala, Kodya Ambon sejak tanggal 19 hingga
22 Maret 2001. Selaku pembuka dan penutup kegiatan tersebut adalah Panglima
Laskar Jihad Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jamaah, Ustadz Ja'far Umar Thalib. Seperti dua
Latgab sebelumnya, para Mujahidin digembleng untuk menguasai kemampuan fisik
dan ilmu agama. Soal fisik, para mujahidin
(the joint training was run by "laskar
jihad" for its 'Mujahidin fighters', in Ambon, March 19-22, 2001, opened, directed and
closed by Jaf'ar Umar Thalib himself, JL)
JOSHUA:
This "laskar jihad's" special news clearly shows that "laskar jihad" and "laskar
Mujahidin" work together or even they are just 'the same group'! Why would Jaf'ar
relate the Mujahidin network to Al Qaeda and deny his involvement with them?
Because he is terrified of being connected to Al Qaeda. Here is another one.
DEWAN PIMPINAN PUSAT FORUM KOMUNIKASI AHLUS SUNNAH WAL JAMAAH
Mujahidian Ambon Gelar Latihan Gabungan;
Ambon, Laskarjihad.or.id (13/03/2001) Sebanyak 900 Mujahidin yang berasal dari
seluruh desa di pulau Ambon, Seram, Haruku dan Saparua mengikuti Latihan
Gabungan (Latgab). Latgab yang digelar selam 4 hari, dan dimulai sejak hari Jumat
(9/3) hingga Senin (12/3) tersebut dilaksanakan di desa Wai Salam, kecamatan
Salahutu, Maluku Tengah, daratan pulau Ambon. Selama 4 hari, Latgab yang
diprakarsai oleh Laskar Jihad Ahlus Sunah Wal Jamaah
.. Di awal kegiatan,
sekaligus pembukaan Latgab tersebut, Panglima Laskarjihad Ahlus Sunnah Wal
Jamaah mengajak kepada para Mujahidin
( the joint training was run by "laskar
jihad" for its 'Mujahidin fighters', in Ambon, March 9-12, 2001, opened, directed and
closed by Jaf'ar Umar Thalib himself, JL
JOSHUA:
There should be no doubt that "laskar jihad" and "laskar Mujahidin" are from the same
origin and both are very much related to Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda. This Mujahidin
and that Mujahidin, in North Maluku, in Air Kuning and in anywhere they might be, are
just different identities of "laskar jihad", used to create some confusions to
overshadow the close bond between Jaf'ar Umar Thalib and Osama bin Laden. .
STRAIT TIMES, 18-09-01
Jakarta now under pressure to act; By Susan Sim INDONESIA CORRESPONDENT
Other sources have noted that while Laskar Mujahideen is distinct from Laskar Jihad,
the two groups coordinate closely their efforts to ''cleanse'' the Maluku islands of
Christians. Jafar's claims appear to dovetail with the fortuitous arrest in Jakarta on
Aug 1 of a Malaysian man, caught as he lay wounded when his bomb went off
prematurely outside a shopping mall, and the arrest in Malaysia three days later of
members of the Malaysian mujahideen group.
JOSHUA:
This statement contains the reality but not all of them. This event has been intensively
used by Jaf'ar to find a way to escape from being held responsible as Osama bib
Laden's important associate in Indonesia. That is why he dares to betray the man who
had risked his life fighting Christians for him in Maluku.
LOS ANGELES TIMES, SEPTEMBER 23, 2001
He said it also is possible that Bin Laden is operating in Indonesia, as Western
authorities contend. "I think that's true," Ja'far said.
JOSHUA:
Jaf'ar Umar Thalib would not confront many Indonesian government's top officials
confirming the presence of Al Qaeda in this country, if he was not confident that all
his lies had put him in a secure position away from Osama bin Laden. But he was
deadly mistaken. He had never thought that somewhere, sometime, someone would
put all his statements, allegations and denials to to discover who he rally is from all of
his deliberate lies.
LOS ANGELES TIMES, SEPTEMBER 23, 2001
He also denied charges that Afghan moujahedeen have joined the Laskar Jihad forces
in the Moluccas, although Christian fighters there say they have taken Afghan identity
papers from the bodies of some foes.
JOSHUA:
He could easily get away with this denial, for it would only be his words against
Christians' words. He would gain sympathies from many Moslems in this country as
he claimed that Western media had taken Christian side to attack him. How about the
following statement?
THE NEW YORK TIMES, OCTOBER 4, 2001
A senior member of Darul Islam, Al Chaidar, said in an interview that both groups have
ties to Al Qaeda, Osama bin Laden's organization. He said that several members of
these groups have experience fighting in Afghanistan and that some Arab fighters
were now in Indonesia offering assistance.
JOSHUA:
Al Chaidar may say 'Arab fighters' in a more general manner for the all Al Qaedan
Mujahidin fighters. Jaf'ar can still argue that Al Chaidar may want to discredit him. So,
let us get another evidence.
JAKARTA POST, 20 JULY 2001
Maluku governor orders monitoring of foreigners
Latuconsina issued the order following an incident in which seven men thought to be
Afghans entered Ambon unlawfully on July 17.
.. Latuconsina traveled on the
same plane to Ambon from Jakarta as the seven alleged Afghans. Upon his arrival at
Ambon's Pattimura Airport, the governor became suspicious of the seven foreigners
and ordered airport officials to check them. The seven men, however, refused to hand
over their passports to the officials and when they tried to detain the group, the seven
men were picked up by suspected members of the Laskar Jihad, Latuconsina said.
Airport officials were apparently outnumbered by the group.
JOSHUA:
Afghans in North Maluku, Afghans in front of the nose of Maluku governor, Afghans
killed in the conflicts in Ambon, and Afghans were all over the place. Could Jaf'ar
Umar Thalib keep deny these facts? Al Qaeda has become pain in the neck for him
now, and he could no longer avoid it! Let's strip him off!
DEWAN PIMPINAN PUSAT FORUM KOMUNIKASI AHLUS SUNNAH WAL JAMAAH
Mujahidian Ambon Gelar Latihan Gabungan;
Ambon, Laskarjihad.or.id (13/03/2001) Para Instruktur yang berpengalaman di medan
jihad baik, di dalam negeri (pemberantasan PKI, RMS, Permesta) maupun di luar
negeri (Afghanistan, Moro, Kosovo, Bosnia) tersebut dengan gesitnya
mempraktekkan gerakan merangkak, menyelinap, mengintai dan menembak tepat
sasaran. Baik dilakukan secara perorangan maupun secara beregu. (the instructors
were veterans from domestics military and police personnel, active or retired, and from
the Afghanistan, Moro, Kosovo, and Bosnian wars, who taught the Mujahidin fighters
all about military tactics in a war, JL)
JOSHUA:
Jaf'ar's neck in the round piece of hanging rope of Al Qaeda. All that he ever denied is
here. The Afghans, the Moros and their associates were all in Maluku to help and to
support "laskar jihad" or "laskar mujahidin" or any laskar Jaf'ar would like to call them.
These Afghans would surely not be from the Northern Alliance or from ordinary
Afghanistan people who would rather be refugees than fighters. They would either be
the members of the Taliban regime or the members of Al Qaeda (or hired by Al
Qaeda).
THE JAKARTA POST, JANUARY 24, 2002
Al-Qaeda people would also quickly label other Muslims outside their circle as kafir
(infidel). "We, of course, do not like that. We are obliged to conduct a scientific
evaluation before considering someone, or other groups, as kafir. We definitely don't
consider other Muslims outside our group as kafir," Ja'far said, adding that his group
held the public interest and public order in high esteem.
THE NEW YORK TIMES; WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2002
The organization is headed by Jaffar Umar Thalib, a religious leader of Yemenese
ancestry, who fought against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan in the 1980's, when he
met Mr. bin Laden. Mr. Thalib has said that Al Qaeda offered his organization money,
but that he rejected it, and he has been critical of Mr. bin Laden.
JOSHUA:
This assertion about 'offering money' was different from what we heard before. Jaf'ar
Umar Thalib seems to change his mind from time to time on this matter. To show that
there is no connection between him and Osama bin Laden, he stated in his former
denial that the meeting with Osama bin Laden was too short, and there was not such
an offer made by bin Laden. Instead, Osama bin Laden sent his delegate to meet
Jaf'ar in "laskar jihad's" compound in Ambon. Here is the tale.
INDONESIAMU; 2001-11-09
Kedua, sambungnya, FKAWJ pernah ditawari bantuan oleh Usamah sekitar lima
bulan lalu. "Tapi kita tolak," kata Aip. Dijelaskannya, saat itu tangan kanan Usamah
yang bernama Abdul Aziz berkunjung ke Ambon ingin menawarkan dana dan senjata
kepada Laskar Jihad. "Tapi itu pun tidak sampai masuk ke halaman Laskar Jihad
karena sudah kita usir," katanya. (Abdul Aziz went to Ambon, but was turned away
before even had a chance to step on the front yard of "laskar jihad's" head quarter,
JL).
JOSHUA:
The delegate was sent back even before they entered the HQ of Of "laskar jihad".
Jaf'ar said that this delegate was to offer some money, arms and personnel, but he
rejected them. The question is, "How did he know all the details about the offer while
the agent was turned away before he even saw them. It's confusing, Isn't it?
Here comes another interesting question. According to Jaf'ar, "laskar jihad" is differ
from Al Qaeda in regarding how they view other Islamic groups. Since Al Qaeda
always views other Islamic organization external to them as 'kafir', then it is obvious
than Al Qaeda would have considered "laskar jihad" as group of 'kafir' (infidels), too. If
this is true, why would Al Qaeda made such an offer to a 'kafir' group? In fact, Al
Qaeda had seen "laskar jihad" as a potential associate for the future.
ASSOCIATED PRESS; WEDNESDAY JANUARY 23, 2002 2:06 PM ET
Al-Qaida Planned Indonesia Attack; By SLOBODAN LEKIC, Associated Press Writer
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - Five suspected members of Osama bin Laden's al-Qaida
network arrived in Indonesia from Yemen last July with a plan to blow up the U.S.
Embassy in Jakarta, a high-ranking U.S. official has revealed.
JOSHUA:
Jaf'ar Umar Thalib is a religious leader of Yemenese ancestry and Yemen is well
known for its largest contribution in manpower to the international terrorism
organizations such as Al Qaeda. How many of these Yemenese terrorist's minds
should have been twisted by Al Qaeda to accept its distorted Islamic philosophy,
before Jaf'ar starts to react? He seems to be in agreement with it all the way from the
beginning. He was in silence when this 'distorted Islamic terrorists' entered his
territory and could have jeopardized his group's credibility. Jaf'ar Umar Thalib has
never shown any 'hard evidence' that he fully opposes Al Qaeda - its philosophy and
its activities.
THE NEW YORK TIMES; WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 2002
What it has done is issue varying public statements about the presence of Al Qaeda.
After long denying any links between local groups and Al Qaeda, last month the
director of the country's intelligence agency, Gen. Hendropriono, said Al Qaeda had
set up training camps here. He made the public statement after consultation with
President Megawati Sukarnoputri in an effort to persuade his government to
become more active in the war on terrorism. Several Islamic groups immediately
attacked General Hendropriono for raising the temperature, and he swiftly backed
down. "
JOSHUA:
This attack on Hendropriyono by Islamic groups suggests three things. Firstly, there
is no such training camps and Al Qaeda has never been in Indonesia. Consequently,
there would be protests from various directions including non-Islamic organizations,
that shows a spirit of nationality to defend the country's credibility. Secondly, the
presence of Al Qaeda, a distorted Islamic terrorists, in this country with a largest
Moslems population in the world would be an insult to the 'true Moslems' community
of Indonesia. As a result, the whole Islamic organization would have reacted to
Hendropriyono's discovery. Hendropriyono himself is a Moslem. Lastly, these several
Islamic organizations were trying to remove their international associates' footprints for
they have made such a good deeds in training the local militia. In this regard, these
several Islamic organizations were similar to or in favour of "laskar jihad", like FPI or
MUI. You are to decide which suggestion is more reasonable to you.
You may recall our highlight in the beginning of this discussion that Jaf'ar Umar Thalib
asserted that "laskar jihad would support any government efforts to clamp down on
the global al-Qaeda terrorist organization of Osama bin Laden". Was Jaf'ar's attitude
confirmed in this case? If it was, then we would have heard a statement of his such as
"If Al Qaeda is here, let us track them down and crush them!" Instead, he might be
among the protesters who came down hard on Hendropriyono.
The following paragraphs are brought up to show that Al Qaeda's presence in
Indonesia is not merely an assumption, and why the government refused to take any
action against it. At the end, it can be concluded that "laskar jihad" is related to Al
Qaeda.
(continued to part 2)
JL.
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