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June 16, 2006

Australia: Islamist Cleric's Release Dampens Diplomatic Hopes

We reported on June 13 that the Islamist cleric Abu Bakar Bashir (pictured) was released from Cipinang prison in East Jakarta, Indonesia, after serving two years of a two year and four month sentence. He had been imprisoned for conspiracy, connected with the bomb attacks in Bali on October 12, 2002, which killed 202 people. 88 of these were Australian tourists.

The leniency given to Bashir has long been a source of frustration for Australia. In October last year, we announced that the Indonesian government was planning to reduce Bashir's sentence for a second time. This decision was met with opposition from Australia. Australia's foreign affairs minister, Alexander Downey said the decision was disappointing, but expected.

A week later the Indonesians changed their minds, and decided not to reduce Bashir's sentence further. A lawyer for Bashir, Wirawan Adnan, blamed the Australian government's interference for the denial of the reduction.

Bashir is the "spiritual leader" of the Islamist terror group Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) which also made a suicide bomb attack upon the Australian Embassy in Jakarta on 9 September, 2004. This killed 11 people, mostly Indonesians.

When Bashir was released this week, Australia's Prime Minister John Howard said: "I want them (Indonesian politicians) to understand from me, on behalf of the government, how extremely disappointed, even distressed, millions of Australians will be at the release."

Within 12 hours of leaving prison, Bashir was back at the Islamic school he had founded in the 1970s, the Al Mukmin or Ngruki pesantren in Solo, about 250 miles east of Jakarta. He gave speeches to a crowd of 1,000 supporters, staff and students at the school, and also gave a press conference to reporters.

About 30 known terrorists are former graduates from the Ngruki school. Qatar's The Peninsula quotes the Brussels-based International Crisis Centre, which has called Ngruki the "Ivy League" of militants.

The mood at Ngruki on Wednesday night was mixed, as it prepared to welcome back Bashir, but it was also mourning a school employee and two supporters who had been killed in a road accident on their way to greet Bashir outside Cipinang jail.

In his speech to those in the school, Bashir made a mild criticism of the fugitive Noordin Top, the JI terrorist who had helped finance and organise the 2002 Bali bombings. He said: "If we want to win, we have to stick with Islam and struggle to make this nation great, peaceful and safe and that can only be done if we lean to Islam 100 per cent. I believe their (militant) moves were wrong because they used bombs in a safe zone. In a peaceful area, they should just preach. However, they are fighters whose intention is defending Islam which has been assailed in the US and its allies who fight against Islam are everywhere."

To reporters, he said that the Australian and American reactions to his release were to be expected, and they were "in line with the character of infidels combating the Islamic struggle." But he said there would be no more bombings.

But his statements went further, according to ABC.net.au and Australia's Daily Telegraph. In an interview for ABC television news, he said that John Howard should convert to Islam to avoid going to hell. Asked at Ngruki if he had a message for John Howard when he visits Indonesia later this month, Bashir replied: "I think John Howard should convert to Islam. If he wants to be saved from hell, he needs to convert to Islam and God willing, he will be forgiven by Allah."

He also warned Australians to never fight against Muslims because they would lose. He said: "Maybe with God's permission, they can kill us, but they certainly can't beat Islam." He warned Australian journalists not to distort his statements.

The reactions to Bashir's statements have been understandable. Nine MSN reports an Australian Muslim spokesperson stating that the comments were "in bad taste". This spokesman is none other than Keysar Trad, the spokesman for Australia's now obsolete Mufti of Australia, the imam at Sydney's Lakemba mosque, Sheik Taj el-din el-Hilaly.

Trad said to AAP: "I think these comments are in very bad taste and I can understand that the families would be incensed that he could be making comments of this nature. They have lost their loved ones in this tragedy and we should be showing them understanding and support rather than talking about their loss in this manner."

Trad, head of the Islamic Friendship Association said he was surprised by the comments, which showed Bashir was not showing "sensitivity".

"As a Muslim I am personally hurt on behalf of the families and I feel a sense of sadness for their loss," Trad said. "I am surprised that he made these comments but I do not believe they will threatened the idea of peace between religions."

According to the Washington Post, Bashir made further insensitive comments designed to enrage Australians. He said those who died in the 2002 Bali blasts had been destined to die by Allah, and that their families should now convert.

He told reporters at Ngruki: "For the Bali bomb families, those who are non-Muslims, my suggestion is just convert to Islam so they can be saved and find some peace from Allah."

In Canberra, the capital of Australia, Mr Howard told parliament that he had written to the President of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, asking him to ensure that the authorities closely monitor Bashir's activities.

Howard said: "His release, and the inflammatory statements that he has made in support of extremism since he has been released, have been deeply offensive, especially to the families of the men and women of this country who died in the Bali attack in October 2002."

"The Indonesian government should understand the deep anger in the Australian community and our sense of concern about what has happened."

Alexander Downer, the foreign minister, asked the UN's World Food Program not to pass any food aid through an Islamic group which had been co-founded by Bashir.

Bashir responded by saying: "I hope Australia will not interfere with Indonesia's internal matters." Bashir, who once praised Osama bin Laden, then praised Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, saying: "I didn't know him personally. But I heard he was a good leader."

The Jakarta Post reports that the police are going to keep a close eye on Bashir. National Police spokesman Brig. Gen. Anton Bachrul Alam said that the security authorities would be looking at the content of Bashir's sermons and said members of the public would be recruited in the monitoring effort. Good intentions, perhaps, but on the ground, the Indonesian police officers themselves are notoriously corrupt.

But today, according to AKI, it appears that Bashir's release and subsequent statements may have put a dampener on the upcoming talks between the leaders of Australia and Indonesia.

There is a planned summit on Batam island on June 26, and this was meant to restore diplomatic unity between the two nation, following Australia's decision to grant temporary visas to 42 refugees from Papua, the Western side of New Guinea. This territory, which is traditionally Melanesian, was a former Dutch colony before being given, bizarrely, to Indonesia by the UN in 1969.

President Yudhoyono said in Jakarta that his government would maintain its fight against terrorism, and noted that Bashir had fulfilled his sentence in accordance with Indonesia's legal procedures.

He said: "Our national efforts to combat terrorism are not measured by the release of Bashir. We are fully committed in continuing the fight against terrorism."

"Abu Bakar Bashir has been prosecuted, tried and punished. Based on the law, he has to be released. It is worth noting that we have put a lot of perpetrators involved in terrorism in jail."

Despite his statements quoted in the Jakarta Post, National Police chief Gen. Sutanto has subsequently claimed that maintaining constant supervision of the 68-year old cleric would contravene Bashir's human rights.

Sutanto said at the president's office: "This is a democracy, people have basic rights. We act only when there are violations of the law. Would it (keeping him under special watch) go against human rights? If he breaks the law, of course, do something. So we have to separate (the situation)."

"We do not allow ourselves to be dictated by other countries because we have our own sovereignty and laws. Police are prepared to make legal moves, but in the spirit of respecting human rights."

The head of BIN, the State Intelligence Agency was even more blase about the issue. He said there was no need to monitor Bashir, his activities or the Ngruki school. Syamsir Siregar said: "What for? He's a citizen like all of us, so why would we specially monitor him?"

With "intelligence" operatives like him in charge of Indonesia's security, no wonder Australia is concerned.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at June 16, 2006 8:18 AM

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