Islamic Groups Cautious over Bombing Blame

THE loss of innocent lives in last week's bombing clearly enraged Indonesians but many opted not to condemn its suspected perpetrators, the Jemaah Islamiah militants.

Several Indonesian Islamic organisations - including the two main grassroots groups - and leaders were quick to condemn the bombing and said it could not be justified or condoned by any religion.

But they steered clear of identifying the perpetrators as Islamic radicals despite clear indications from the police that the outrage bore the hallmarks of Malaysian bomber Azahari Hussin and Noordin Mat Top, two members of the Jemaah Islamiah, the regional terrorist network.

The Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), which has been campaigning for the implementation of Islamic syariah law in Indonesia, described the incident as one that had shattered Indonesia's international image and offended its sovereignty.

But PKS chairman Hidayat Nurwahid warned: "We should not link the bombing with any religion as all religions forbid and condemn such acts of terror."

In a similar tone, the hardline Hizbut Tahrir group, which held a demonstration against terrorism in the capital on Saturday, called on the authorities to be careful in responding to speculation that linked the incident with any particular Islamic organisation or movement.

Hizbut Tahrir leader Muhammad Ismail Yusanto said the explosion could have been the work of groups wanting to destabilise the country ahead of its first direct presidential election later this month and discredit Islam for their own political ends.

Political analyst Arbi Sanit told The Straits Times yesterday that people in Muslim-majority Indonesia were still sensitive over the issue of terrorism and would not want it linked to Islam or any Muslim movement.

"They may condemn the atrocities but they would never associate it with the work of Muslim radicals.

"This is despite clear evidence that the bombing could be the work of Azahari Hussin and Noordin Mat Top. Everyone knows who the two suspects are," he said.

Social activist Mangisara Lubis thought that many Indonesians avoided mentioning Jemaah Islamiah as the possible perpetrators of the violence because an investigation was ongoing.

'But even if it is later proven that it was the work of Jemaah Islamiah elements, I doubt that there would be an open censure against the radicals,' he said.

'No one is prepared to come out with statements that may tarnish Islam and the Muslims.'

But activist Ulil Abshar Abdalla told The Straits Times yesterday that it was time Muslims in the country went a step further by condemning Jemaah Islamiah and its allies.

"It is not enough merely to express our outrage against violence and terrorism without also pinpointing the perpetrators.

"If Jemaah Islamiah is responsible for these terrorist acts, it should be condemned," he said.

He said he had written letters to the two largest Muslim groups, the Muhammadiyah and the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), expressing his disappointment that they stopped short of censuring Jemaah Islamiah while condemning violence and terrorism in their statements after the embassy blast.

"Some people think that by naming Jemaah Islamiah, Islam's name will be tarnished.

"I don't agree because I think Jemaah Islamiah is a terrorist group which uses Islam for its political ends," added Mr Ulil, the coordinator of Liberal Islam Network, a Muslim group promoting moderate Islam.

The NU, in a press statement released after the blast, called for the bombers to be punished severely after a probe to establish guilt.

But it also said that the United States, Australia, Britain and other countries which are often targeted by terrorists should exercise "introspection" because their global policies could be misplaced.

Muhammadiyah called the bombing "savage and inhuman," saying that any form of violence was strictly against universal and religious values.