TEMPO Magazine No. 28/II/March 19 - 25, 2002
National
Terrorism
Is Ja'far Umar Another Osama bin Laden?
The New York Times has asserted that Ja'far Umar Thalib is every bit as dangerous
as Osama bin Laden. Is this going too far?
Although Vice President Hamzah Haz stated in a speech last Thursday marking the
Islamic New Year in Senayan, Jakarta, that Indonesia was free of terrorism, this
country is still regarded as a nest of terrorism by the US. After the Singapore-based
Straits Times published the “Operation Jibril” document, which contained detailed
plans for a bombing operation to be mounted by the Jamaah Islamiyah Muslim group,
The New York Times published an article about the activities of Ja'far Umar Thalib,
one of the leaders of Laskar Jihad. The charge is simple: as with Osama bin Laden,
Ja'far poses a threat to the US.
In a long article, the Times reported various facts and data that, according to the
author, were sufficient to show that Ja'far, who was born in Malang 40 years ago, is
not to be taken lightly. He has a lot of power and influence, and controls between
3,000 and 10,000 armed, trained and loyal militiamen. It is alleged that this has so far
escaped Washington's attention.
And most importantly for the Times, Ja'far, who was in Afghanistan during the 1980s,
is strongly anti-American. Although he often claims that his ideology is different from
that of Osama, according to the article the differences are in reality quite small.
Furthermore, the pair met in Peshawar in 1987. Easy, right?
Ja'far Umar Thalib has long been known as a hard-line Muslim preacher. This, of
course, is part and parcel of his leadership of Laskar Jihad, the military wing of Ahlus
Sunnah wal Jamaah Communications Forum, a grouping of Muslim organizations that
came together at the time of Suharto's fall from grace.
Laskar Jihad has since been sending its militiamen to various areas in the country
where conflicts between Christians and Muslims have broken out, such as Poso and
Ambon, where they take the side of local Muslims in the areas in question. However,
what really caused an uproar was when Ja'far led the stoning to death of Abdul Rohim,
a 30-year-old who admitted to having committed adultery. At the time, Ja'far almost
went to jail, but in the end the case never went to court.
It is clear from his track record that Ja'far adheres to the radical wing of Islam. But to
equate his name with that of Osama bin Laden, the man accused by the US as being
responsible for just about every act of terrorism directed against the country, is going
overboard.
While he acknowledges that he is anti-American, he strongly denies that this is the
same as hating and threatening the lives of Americans. “We are not anti-American
citizens. It is rather the political policies of the US government that we don't like,
policies that force Muslims throughout the world into a corner,” he asserted. As an
example, he claimed that his organization had totally rejected the suggestions that
arose of rounding up Americans, what became known here as “sweeping”, around
the time when the US and its allies launched their attack on Afghanistan.
Ja'far condemned The New York Times article as being nothing but lies. According to
him, the lies included allegations that his organization had a training camp in
Sulawesi and the statement quoting Harold Crouch, an Indonesian observer from
Australia, alleging that a number of Laskar Jihad members were capable of piloting
aircraft. “So far, we are not even able to buy an aircraft tire let alone train pilots,”
Ja'far laughed.
Indonesian Mujahidin Council executive committee chairman Irfan S. Awwas was of
the view that the allegations against Ja'far were excessive. According to Irfan, Laskar
Jihad is no different from other Muslim organizations that want to institute Islamic
Syariah law in Indonesia. “It seems to me that all America cares about is defining
targets and labeling them as terrorists. After that, they then take repressive action.
And it would appear that they want to use the Indonesian government to realize their
ambitions,” he claimed.
The charges laid against Ja'far do not appear to overly concern the powers that be in
this country. The Armed Forces so far do not regard Ja'far as a threat. According to
Indonesian Military (TNI) spokesman, Maj. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, what Laskar
Jihad had been doing so far does not constitute action that could be classified as
leading toward disintegration and endangering the state.
However, for Christians, the presence of Laskar Jihad in Ambon is worrying. For
example, according to the Christians, the Suara Perjuangan Muslim Maluku (Voice of
the Maluku Muslims' Struggle) radio station, the mouthpiece of Laskar Jihad, has
been highly provocative. “What they broadcast is often provocative, inflaming the
residents of Ambon so that many become emotional,” claimed Hengky Hattu, one of
the Christian delegates to the Malino II negotiations. On the other hand, the presence
of the Laskar Jihad militia in Ambon is reassuring for Muslims. “Our children can
learn to read the Koran again,” said Mustafa, 52, a resident of Kebuncengkih,
Ambon.
Thus, it would appear that their movement has more to do with local conditions. What
then do they have to do with the US? Are the charges laid against Laskar Jihad
merely an example of American paranoia about Islamic movements. According to Bill
Liddle, an Indonesian scholar from Ohio University, The New York Times article
simply reflects the views of Islam prevalent among Americans, particularly in the wake
of the September 11 tragedy last year. “It's not about ideology, but rather that they
are afraid their lives will be threatened by terrorism,” said Liddle.
Perhaps—in this regard at least—the US is not an all-seeing and all-knowing
superpower.
Irfan Budiman, Dwi Arjanto, L.N. Idayanie (Yogyakarta), Yusnita Tiakoly (Ambon)
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