INDONESIA AND THE 'WAR ON TERRORSIM'
As reported in my last update (17.01.02), the expanded war on terrorism looks set
sooner or later to find its way to Indonesia. Already the United States military are
active in the Southern Phillipines to train the Philippine army in rounding up Islamic
militants and there has been talk of extending the attention to Indonesia.
Journalist Chris McCall reporting from Ternate in North Maluku tells of the reverence
held for Osama Bin Laden in what is now a 100% Islamised area of Nth Maluku, since
the Christians were either killed or fled from the area.
"...At the front of the building, looking down on passers-by, is a huge portrait of the
United States' most wanted man [Osama Bin Laden]. Alongside it is a message,
written in Indonesian with a smattering of Arabic: "Oh ye the army of Allah, shoulder
your weapons. Go forward to fight. Make firm your hearts. Unite the Muslims of the
world and work together to uphold the purity of Islam beneath the banner 'There is no
God but Allah'." Underneath the picture are painted the words "al-Qaeda". (South
China Morning Post, 28.01.02).
The Jihad against Christians in Maluku and Central Sulawesi over the last 3 years has
provided a lot of hands on field experience for those who share the terrorist agenda,
both within and outside Indonesia. But whist there may be terrorist cells within
Indonesia, the US congress would first need to overturn an earlier bill that had cut
military ties with Indonesia (because of human rights concerns) before it partnered
with the Indonesian military in hunting them down. But even if this was to happen it
would be unlikely that Megawati would be too keen to invite the United States
presence onto Indonesian soil. Perhaps the US would prefer that Australia led this
front in the 'war on terrorism'! Could get messy. Meanwhile, Laskar Jihad militia are
continuing their build up in the Indonesian territory of Papua. In what is shaping up to
be a repeat of what happened in East Timor, Jihad militia, together with nationalist
militia in Papua, may be getting set to launch a campaign (in t! he name of 'national
security') against the Papuan Christian community. Whilst the horrors of the Maluku
conflict seemed to have abated, it may only be a matter of time before we see the
same tactics employed to destablise other regions - with those who stand to gain
politically and economically, fuelling and funding the anti-christian ideology for their
own purposes. Please pray for God's strength and protection for all those who work for
peace and reconciliation within Indonesia.
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