http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/06/AR2005100601559.html
*In Indonesia, Songs Against Terrorism*
By Kyai Haji Abdurrahman Wahid and C. Holland Taylor
Friday, October 7, 2005; Page A23
The latest suicide bombings on the resort island of Bali appear to have
been carried out by young Indonesian Muslims indoctrinated in an
ideology of hatred. Once again the cult of death has proved its ability
to recruit misguided fanatics and incite them to violate Islam's most
sacred teachings in the very name of God. The only way to break this
vicious cycle is by discrediting the perverse ideology that underlies
and motivates such brutal acts of terrorism.
One of us, Abdurrahman Wahid, was Indonesia's president when tragic
violence inundated the eastern region of Ambon and the Malukus six years
ago. A seemingly trivial argument between a Christian bus driver and a
Muslim passenger in early 1999 triggered a bloody religious war that
eventually claimed 10,000 lives and drove a half-million Christian and
Muslim inhabitants from their homes. Radical Muslims from throughout
Indonesia flocked to the region to wage jihad on Indonesian Christians,
backed by powerful Islamist generals and plenty of money.
The largest such group was Laskar Jihad ("Warriors of Jihad"), led by an
Indonesian of Arab descent whose ancestors came from the same province
in Yemen as those of Osama bin Laden. Jafar Umar Thalib is a veteran of
the Afghan jihad and knows bin Laden personally. Backed by spiteful
generals close to the disgraced Suharto regime, Thalib sounded the call
to jihad, and thousands of young Muslims flocked to his green banner to
slaughter Indonesian Christians in the name of God.
Enjoying powerful clandestine support, Laskar Jihad had actually
established a military training camp less than 60 miles from the
capital, Jakarta. When national police broke up the camp, Thalib
promptly announced that Laskar Jihad would sail for Ambon and wage jihad
there. I (Wahid) ordered the army generals in East Java to prevent them
from sailing and ordered the navy to intercept them if they did. I also
ordered the governor of East Java to guard the docks and prevent Laskar
Jihad from boarding. But these presidential orders were ignored by a
military that refused to accept civilian control in the newly democratic
Indonesia. An unholy alliance of fundamentalist jihadists, Islamist
generals and people close to the Suharto family ensured that thousands
of Laskar Jihadists poured into Ambon and the Malukus.
Once there, they spread out in the Muslim communities and launched
devastating raids on neighboring Christian enclaves, burning and
desecrating churches; destroying homes; and slaughtering thousands of
men, women and children.
All of Indonesia knew what was happening. It was in the news day and
night. Laskar Jihad became a symbol and a byword for the suffering
inflicted upon that region. The goal of its clandestine backers -- and
those in parliament itself -- was to create chaos and block the reform
that desperately needed to occur in the Indonesian government. They
succeeded; the process of reform ground to a halt.
Then came the first Bali bombing in 2002, with jihadists incinerating a
popular club and more than 200 people, mostly foreign tourists. Although
that attack was the work of a different jihadist group, Jemaah Islamiah,
it was obvious that the military -- by then in the hands of "red," or
nationalist, generals allied to my successor, Megawati Sukarnoputri --
would crack down on all active jihadist groups. Immediately afterward,
Thalib announced that Laskar Jihad had served its purpose, and he
recalled its warriors to Java. Thousands of battle-hardened jihadists
returned to Java's towns and villages to await his further call.
One of the people watching this tragedy unfold was a brilliant young
musician named Ahmad Dhani. Leader of the immensely popular rock band
Dewa, Dhani began to use his musical platform to influence millions of
fans in Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia to resist the tide of
religious extremism.
In response to Laskar Jihad's atrocities, and to discredit the appeal of
fundamentalist ideology, Dhani composed the best-selling album "Laskar
Cinta" ("Warriors of Love"). Released in November 2004, it quickly rose
to the top of the charts as millions of young Indonesians embraced its
message of love, peace and tolerance.
Dhani and the other members of Dewa have presented Indonesia's youth
with a stark choice, and one easy for the vast majority to answer: Do
they want to join the army of jihad, or the army of love? In response,
numerous radical Muslim groups have accused Dhani -- who is a devout
Sufi, or mystically inclined Muslim -- of being an infidel, an apostate
(code words inciting violence) and a Zionist agent. They have hauled him
into court on charges of defaming Islam and seek to ban his use of rock
music to promote a spiritual and progressive interpretation of Islam
that threatens the appeal of their own Wahhabi-inspired extremism.
Yet rather than be intimidated, Dhani recently announced to the
Indonesian press his plan to launch another "ideological smart bomb" --
in the form of a song that uses the revelatory tone of the Koran to
declare: "Truth dwells in the hearts of those who love and are free of
hatred; the hearts of those who hate . . . are possessed by Satan."
Dhani and his group are on the front lines of a global conflict,
defending Islam from its fanatical hijackers. In a world all too often
marred by hatred and violence committed in the name of religion, they
seek to rescue an entire generation from Wahhabi-financed extremists
whose goal is to transform Muslim youth into holy warriors and suicide
bombers. For every young Indonesian seduced by the ideology of hatred
and fanaticism -- including those responsible for the recent, awful
attacks in Bali -- countless others see through the extremists' web of
lies and hatred, in no small part thanks to the visionary courage of
people like Ahmad Dhani. For as they listen to Dewa's music, the hearts
of millions of young Indonesians have been inspired to declare: "No to
the warriors of jihad! Yes to the warriors of love!"
/Kyai Haji Abdurrahman Wahid is a former president of Indonesia. From
1984 to 1999 he headed Nadhlatul Ulama, the world's largest Muslim
organization, with nearly 40 million members. C. Holland Taylor is
chairman and chief executive of Libforall Foundation, a nonprofit that
works to reduce religious extremism and discredit the use of terrorism.
Dhani serves on the foundation's board. The authors can be reached at
[EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>.
/
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~-->
Give at-risk students the materials they need to succeed at DonorsChoose.org!
http://us.click.yahoo.com/Ryu7JD/LpQLAA/E2hLAA/BRUplB/TM
--------------------------------------------------------------------~->
***************************************************************************
Berdikusi dg Santun & Elegan, dg Semangat Persahabatan. Menuju Indonesia yg
Lebih Baik, in Commonality & Shared Destiny. http://www.ppi-india.org
***************************************************************************
__________________________________________________________________________
Mohon Perhatian:
1. Harap tdk. memposting/reply yg menyinggung SARA (kecuali sbg otokritik)
2. Pesan yg akan direply harap dihapus, kecuali yg akan dikomentari.
3. Reading only, http://dear.to/ppi
4. Satu email perhari: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
5. No-email/web only: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
6. kembali menerima email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ppiindia/
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
