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July 28, 2006

Indonesia: 40% Of Muslims Support Faith-Based Violence

News from the Jakarta Post and AKI details the results of a poll carried out in Indonesia, concerning Muslim attitudes to religion and violence.

The survey, carried out among 1,200 respondents in 30 of the nation's 33 provinces by the Center for Islamic and Social Studies (PPIM) revealed results which are unfortunately predictable. 40% of Muslims claimed they would be prepared to go war for their faith.

As we reported on March 16, a poll conducted by the Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI) found that 2% of people thought that suicide bombings were justifiable on occasion and 0.5% said this method was always justifiable while defending Islam against its "enemies", and 8% of respondents claimed they supported the actions of Noordin Top the fugitive bomb-plotter of Jemaah Islamiyah. That survey had used a smaller number of respondents (1,173) and had been conducted in all the 33 provinces of the archipelago.

The new survey was carried out between 2001 and March 2006. 43.5 % of respondents said they would be prepared to wage war on threatening non-Muslim groups, while 40% said they would employ violence against anyone seen to be blaspheming against Islam. 14.7% said they would be prepared to tear down Chrisian churches which did not have official permits.

0.1% said that they had already been involved in arson attacks against Christian churches without permits, and 1.3% said that they had committed acts of "intimidation" against those they thought had blasphemed against Islam.

Researcher Jajat Burhanudin said: "The percentage looks very small but it is very high in its real figure when you note that 85 percent, or 200 million, of the country's 230 million population are Muslims."

He said that a study, conducted at the same time, found that Islamic teaching and Islamism had made the most significant influence on violent behaviour in the domestic and public arenas. Jajat said: "The more Muslims give their support for certain Islamic teachings legitimizing the use of violence, the more violence will happen."

He said that between 30% and 58% approved of hand amputations for thieves and the stoning to death of rapists as well as other aspects of Sharia law, and also opposed the election of non-Muslims for presidential office.

Jajat blamed simplistic teachings of Islam, as well as so-called "yellow books" for the situation of rising hardline groups and said they led to intolerance of non-Muslims. The "yellow books" are used in Indonesia's pesantren or Islamic boarding schools, and they detailed Islamic law and rules.

Azyumardi Azra, rector of Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University in Ciputat, Tangerang, tried to play down the results of the findings, and said many local cultures were innately violent.

He said: "The country's self-image of kindness, tolerance and hospitality must be questioned because local cultures are very close to violence."

He argued that reformulating all Islamic teachings which could be seen as promoting violence and developing democracy through pluralism and tolerance could be a solution.

Unfortunately to do that, certain chunks of the Koran and numerous hadiths would have to abolished to maintain the notion of Islam as a non-violent faith. Tabari IX:69 states: "Killing disbelievers is a small matter to us." Violence was practiced by Mohammed when he went to war, and he had no objections to killing those who offended him.

Islam has no tolerance for unbelievers. Sahih Muslim (Book 001, Number 0032) states:

It is narrated on the authority of Jabir that the Messenger of Allah said: I have been commanded that I should fight against people till they declare that there is no god but Allah, and when they profess it that there is no god but Allah, their blood and riches are guaranteed protection on my behalf except where it is justified by law, and their affairs rest with Allah, and then he (the Holy Prophet) recited (this verse of the Holy Qur'an):" Thou art not over them a warden" (lxxxviii, 22).

And as we reported earlier, Islam has no tolerance for those who leave the faith (apostasy):

Ikrimah said: 'Ali burned some people who retreated from Islam. When Ibn 'Abbas was informed of it, he said: If it had been I, I would not have them burned, for the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Do not inflict Allah's punishment on anyone, but would have had killed them on account of the statement of the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him). The Apostle said: Kill those who change their religion. - Sunan Abu Dawud, Book XXXIII, Kitab al-Hudud

Any attempts to remove the violence from Islam would mean abrogating most of the Hadiths, and several suras of the Koran, and also ignoring the violent nature and war campaigns of Mohammed, founder of the "religion". I cannot see Muslims accepting such an emasculation of their "faith".

Azyumardi said: "Besides, the country is in dire need of a strong government to create political stability and good governance and ensure the rule of law, while the development of democracy should not end with the general elections and local elections."

He warned that radicalism would continue to thrive unless good governance was created.

This much is true. However, as we showed in our Special Report on the rise of Islamism in the country, groups like the Front Pembela Islam (Islamic Defenders Front) have openly mounted violent campaigns of intimidation and the police and government have done absolutely nothing to prevent them. By doing nothing, the authorities condone the violence and give a green light to other radical groups.

On July 20, AKI reported that at least 200 jihadists from southeast Asia had gone to fight against Israel in the current Lebanon crisis. The radicals were mostly from Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia and Thailand. 72 of those who joined the "Palestine Jihad Bombing Troops" and have already left to go to the Middle East are Indonesians. Additionally 90 militants from the Islamic Defenders Front had also promised to fight in the Middle East and die "as martyrs".

The report quotes Suaib Didu, head of the Islamic Youth Movement (also known as the Asian Muslim Youth Movement (AMYM)), who claimed he knew of 217 jihadists who were traveling to the Middle East. These are in a group calling itself "Palestine Jihad Bombing Troops", comprising 72 Indonesians, 57 Filipinos, 36 Malaysians, 43 Thais, 3 from Brunei and 1 from SIngapore.

Recently there has been an increase in protests against US and Israel in many of Indonesian cities. AKI reports that in Makassar, the capital of the island of Sulawesi, students had been searching hotels, looking for Americans and Israelis. Fortunately they did not find their potential victims as no "incident" occurred, but it is a worrying sign of rampant fanatacism being allowed to go unchallenged.

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at July 28, 2006 7:28 AM

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Posted by: Voyager at July 29, 2006 8:36 AM

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