| Southeast Asia | |
| US Sanctions Indonesian NGO for Alleged Terror Financing in Syria | |
| 2022-02-04 | |
 ."The U.S. government took the action against World Human Care, an NGO, on the same day President Joe The Big GuyBiden  ...46th president of the U.S. I'm not working for you. Don't be such a horse's ass.Don't say he didn't warn us... announced that the top leader of the Islamic State | |
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| Southeast Asia | |
| Indonesia: Crackdown on Islamic sect criticised | |
| 2007-10-09 | |
 (AKI/Jakarta Post) - Activists in the Indonesian province of West Sumatra have protested against a police raid on the Al-Qiyadah Al-Islamiyah Islamic sect. The police carried out the raid on the orders of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), Indonesia's top clerical body. The sect claims it has been under attack in several parts of the country, including West Sumatra and West Java, since the council declared it blasphemous on Thursday and demanded the government ban it. The Pusaka Inter-Community Study Center, a non-governmental organisation promoting pluralism in West Sumatra, has called for the public to respect an individual's rights to practise their religion and beliefs. "Labelling a group's teachings as blasphemous and then attacking them is against the Constitution," said Pusaka director Sudarto in an interview with The Jakarta Post. "The police and the Indonesian Ulema Council should refrain (from doing so) and solve the matter wisely," said the director. Last week, members of several large organisations, including the Indonesian Mujahidin Council, visited the shop-house in Padang where the sect, led by 44-year-old Dedi Priadi, operates. They ordered the worshippers to stop their activities before raiding and sealing the building. Police detained 11 alleged Al-Qiyada members, including Dedi, in order to prevent "clashes". The sect members were eventually released, although Dedi has been ordered to report to the police every day and the building has been secured with a police line.
Sudarto, who is also a member of the West Sumatra chapter of the National Commission on Human Rights, said the government should stay neutral. He said sealing off the sect's building and requiring its leader in West Sumatra to report to the police over a personal issue was against human rights. "The state has again used the Criminal Code against the sect for tarnishing a mainstream religion," said Sudarto. "The Criminal Code should not be placed above the Constitution, which guarantees people the freedom to perform their own religions and beliefs," he said. He said the accusations against the sect should be solved through dialogue. Dedi Priadi claims to have 4,000 followers in West Sumatra, mostly students. In his teachings, he says praying once a day at night, instead of five times, is enough, but denies the sect is blasphemous. Gusrizal Gazahar of the West Sumatra chapter of the Indonesian Ulema Council said they have monitored the sect for some time and had even sent two people inside the organisation. "The sect is misleading and not Islam. But it claims to be Islam so we ask the government to ban it and call the people involved to get back on the right track," Gusrizal said. The West Sumatra provincial prosecutor's office released a decision banning Al-Qiyadah Al-Islamiyah on Friday. | |
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| Southeast Asia |
| Conspiracy seen in al-Farouq's escape (paranoia is good; at least for us) |
| 2005-11-07 |
| Reports of the escape of Omar al-Farouq, a suspected al-Qaeda leader, from a U.S.-run detention facility in Afghanistan have created confusion and suspicion among some Muslim leaders here. Zaenal Ma'arif, deputy speaker of the House of Representatives who hails from the Islamic-based Star Reform Party (PBR), was baffled as to how al-Farouq, who was captured in Indonesia in 2002 and subsequently handed over to the U.S. authorities, had escaped. He suspected that "a certain group" with interests in Southeast Asia had arranged for the escape of al-Farouq in a bid to give power to terrorism in the region. He declined to name the group. "It is possible that there is a bigger scenario since Osama bin Laden is not that influential anymore," Zaenal said over the weekend, referring to the al-Qaeda terror network leader who remains at large. He even said that the recent beheadings of three Christian schoolgirls in religiously divided Poso, Central Sulawesi was also arranged by the group to create security instability in Indonesia. Zaenal urged the government to actively seeks explanations from the U.S. government on the escape of al-Farouq, believed to be the lieutenant of bin Laden and leader of al-Qaeda's Southeast Asia operation. Al-Farouq was one of four suspected Arab terrorists to escape from the heavily fortified detention facility inside a U.S. base in Bagram, Afghanistan, in July. Although the escape was widely reported at the time, al-Farouq was identified by an alias and the U.S. military only confirmed last week that he was among those who fled. The identity of the two other al-Qaeda leaders as well as a fourth man who escaped with them has not been revealed. In response to the escape, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said last week that the government would increase security measures at home to prevent new terror attacks. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs acknowledged that it had yet to receive official notification from the U.S. government over al-Farouq's escape. "There is no official notification yet from the U.S. to Indonesia via the ministry," said spokesman Yuri O. Thamrin as quoted by Antara on Saturday. He added that the Indonesian Embassy in Afghanistan was in the process of seeking more information on the escape. He declined to provide further details. Meanwhile, the Indonesian Mujahidin Council (MMI) suspected that the escape of al-Farouq was arranged by the U.S. and Australian governments to maintain the terror issue in Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim country. MMI spokesman Fauzan Al Anshori was quoted by Antara as saying that al-Farouq's escape could later be connected with Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, the leader of MMI, who is now imprisoned for his role in the 2002 Bali bombings, but is scheduled to be set free in June of 2006. "We suspect there will be new stories to delay the release of Ba'asyir," Fauzan said. Chairman of the Indonesian Muslim Brotherhood Movement (GPMI) Ahmad Sumargono said Indonesia must be alert to the possibility that the escape of al-Farouq was a political ploy. "We must be alert. There is a possibility that this is an international conspiracy to keep terrorism alive in Indonesia," the former lawmaker told Antara. |
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| Southeast Asia | |
| Western aid winning hearts | |
| 2005-01-12 | |
 THE spiritual head of Jemaah Islamiah says he is losing the battle for the hearts and minds of Aceh's tsunami survivors because of the humanitarian assistance from Australian and US military forces. A spokesman for Abu Bakar Bashir said the Indonesian cleric, who is on trial for terrorism, regarded the relief operations by Australian and US military personnel as a dangerous development, overshadowing the role of the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI). "We are suspicious of the presence of foreign soldiers and their show of force and the minimum publicity given to assistance from Arab states," said Fauzan Al Anshari, a spokesman for Bashir's militant Majelis Mujahidin Indonesia group. "It's dangerous, this idea by Acehnese that US and Australian forces are their guardian angels - more popular than the TNI." Mr Anshari quoted Bashir as warning against any long-term hidden agenda in the deployment of Australian and US troops, saying he feared their presence in Aceh was like that of colonial invaders. "If they establish a permanent base there, it will lead to trouble," he said. Downplaying the mercy role of troops working to rebuild where more than a 100,000 people were lost when the tsunami struck on Boxing Day, Mr Anshari warned that they would promote prostitution and the consumption of alcohol in the devoutly Muslim region. John Howard announced last week a $1 billion, five-year program for relief and reconstruction in Aceh. More than 500 Australian troops are in Aceh, with another 400 due to arrive in Sumatra on HMAS Kanimbla tomorrow. They are part of a massive multinational force providing relief to the region engaged in a bloody separatist revolt, but both sides have attempted to maintain a ceasefire since the tsunami struck. Bashir's appearance in a South Jakarta court yesterday on charges of heading a terrorist organisation was greeted by shouts of "Allah Akbar ( | |
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| Southeast Asia |
| Western aid winning hearts |
| 2005-01-11 |
| THE spiritual head of Jemaah Islamiah says he is losing the battle for the hearts and minds of Aceh's tsunami survivors because of the humanitarian assistance from Australian and US military forces. A spokesman for Abu Bakar Bashir said the Indonesian cleric, who is on trial for terrorism, regarded the relief operations by Australian and US military personnel as a dangerous development, overshadowing the role of the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI). "We are suspicious of the presence of foreign soldiers and their show of force and the minimum publicity given to assistance from Arab states," said Fauzan Al Anshari, a spokesman for Bashir's militant Majelis Mujahidin Indonesia group. "It's dangerous, this idea by Acehnese that US and Australian forces are their guardian angels - more popular than the TNI." Mr Anshari quoted Bashir as warning against any long-term hidden agenda in the deployment of Australian and US troops, saying he feared their presence in Aceh was like that of colonial invaders. "If they establish a permanent base there, it will lead to trouble," he said. Downplaying the mercy role of troops working to rebuild where more than a 100,000 people were lost when the tsunami struck on Boxing Day, Mr Anshari warned that they would promote prostitution and the consumption of alcohol in the devoutly Muslim region. John Howard announced last week a $1 billion, five-year program for relief and reconstruction in Aceh. More than 500 Australian troops are in Aceh, with another 400 due to arrive in Sumatra on HMAS Kanimbla tomorrow. They are part of a massive multinational force providing relief to the region engaged in a bloody separatist revolt, but both sides have attempted to maintain a ceasefire since the tsunami struck. Bashir's appearance in a South Jakarta court yesterday on charges of heading a terrorist organisation was greeted by shouts of "Allah Akbar (God is Great)" from scores of youthful supporters. Dressed more like members of an outlaw bikie gang, his supporters wore vests emblazoned with slogans such as "Taliban, Laskar, Mujaheddin and Brigade Al Ishlah", a reference to their allegiance with several home-grown militant Islamic groups. Mr Anshari also confirmed 19 Indonesian Mujahidin Council (MMI) supporters had been ordered by Indonesian marines to leave their aid post at Banda Aceh's airport. The expulsion was ordered by Indonesian officials because their presence close to Australian and US troops was considered too provocative, "although we did nothing to provoke them", Mr Anshari said. He said TNI had apologised, and pointed out that MMI had another 200 volunteers in Aceh. MMI supporters were helping to provide aid and religious counselling to victims. In a related development, Indonesian Public Welfare Minister Alwi Shihab has ordered all foreign aid workers based in Aceh to register with the Government in order to carry on with their humanitarian relief work. |
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| Southeast Asia |
| GAM denounces al-Qaeda affiliates' presence in Aceh |
| 2005-01-11 |
| Separatist rebels from the Indonesian province of Aceh have deplored the presence there of two militant Islamic groups helping survivors of the Indian Ocean tsunami, saying they were using aid to push a religious agenda. The Free Aceh Movement (GAM) said in a statement from its government in exile in Stockholm that the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) and the Indonesian Mujahidin Council (MMI) "would squander scarce resources". The statement branded the two groups as "criminal organisations" and said they were not welcome in Aceh. It said "the actions and words of FPI and MMI contradict Islamic teachings and the tolerance and faith of Acehnese Muslims". The self-styled prime minister of the government-in-exile, Malik Mahmud, told Reuters that their brand of fundamentalist Islam was not acceptable in Aceh, which fought Dutch colonialists and Japan's World War II occupation and whose campaign is fuelled by a centuries-old nationalist movement and not by religion. "What we don't like is they make people more confused about the situation under the pretext of giving aid and give their version of Islam, which we think is very radical," he said in a telephone interview from Stockholm. "They say things like the tsunami happened because Indonesia did not accept sharia law in Aceh," Malik said. "Our organisation is legal, nobody has the right to stop us," MMI chairman Irfan S Awwas told Reuters. "We are there solely for humanitarian purposes, for our fellow Indonesians." The FPI was one of many small militant groups that sprang up after the 1998 fall of former president Suharto and made a splash by attacking nightclubs, brothels and other entertainment venues deemed an affront to Islam. The group has recruited volunteers to go to the Indonesian islands of Sulawesi and the Moluccas, where Christian-Muslim clashes have killed thousands in recent years. FPI leader Habib Rizieq denied GAM's assertion that the groups were working with the Indonesian army. "We go there purely for humanitarian activities, and when the job is done, we will go home." GAM, which has been fighting since 1976 to separate Aceh from Indonesian rule, accused the government of helping the two groups to travel to Aceh. "At a time when the international community is so generously assisting the people of Aceh, the government is wasting valuable funds by assisting these criminal organisations to travel to and stay in Aceh," the GAM statement said. Aceh remains under a civil emergency following a year of martial law aimed at crushing GAM rebels. Access for foreign aid groups and media was heavily restricted until the province was struck by the magnitude 9 earthquake and ensuing tsunami. |
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| Southeast Asia | |||||||
| 19 of Bashir's hard boyz expelled from Aceh | |||||||
| 2005-01-11 | |||||||
 The radical Indonesian Mujahidin Council (MMI) says 19 of its 206 members "conducting relief work" in Aceh have been expelled from the province by the Indonesian Air Force.
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| Bashir's followers bound for Aceh | ||||||
| 2005-01-04 | ||||||
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| Southeast Asia |
| Ba'asyir group continues to grow |
| 2004-12-27 |
| An Islamic extremist group led by elderly cleric Abu Bakar Baasyir, currently standing trial in Jakarta on terror charges, has established dozens of new branches in at least eight provinces across Indonesia. The Indonesian Mujahidin Council (MMI) central executive board said on Saturday it has branched out to at least 53 regencies and mayoralties in eight provinces in a bid to push for its campaign for Islamic sharia law. More branches of the organization would be set up in all cities and towns throughout the predominantly Muslim country of some 215 million people, senior MMI executive Irfan S. Awas said. "Our target is that the organization can exist in all corners throughout the country for the sake of sharia's implementation," he said. Irfan made the announcement in a speech at the inauguration ceremony of the new MMI executive board for Langkat regency, North Sumatra, at Amaliyah Mosque in Stabat town, some 120 kilometers from the provincial capital of Medan on Saturday. In his 30-minute speech, he encouraged all MMI executives to promote Islamic sharia whatever risks they would face, as experienced by their top leader, Ba'asyir. Many suspect that MMI was linked to the regional JI terror network, but authorities could not find legal evidence in this case and Ba'asyir has repeatedly and strongly denied all the charges against him and his organization. Ba'asyir founded MMI in 1999 after returning home from Malaysia, a year after former president Soeharto's downfall. The MMI central headquarters is located in Surakarta, Central Java, which is also home to his Al-Mukmin Islamic boarding school in Ngruki. Irfan also criticized national leaders, including President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and top military chief Gen. Endriartono Sutarto as well as most Muslims, for having no courage to enforce sharia in the country. Most Indonesian Muslims have opposed to the campaigned enforcement of sharia in the secular country. Support for the opposition comes from the two nation's largest Islamic organizations, Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah. Present at Saturday's event was MMI central board leader Muhammad Tholib and chairman of the organization's North Sumatra office Heriansyah, as well as their local followers and sympathizers. Ahead of the inauguration ceremony, MMI Langkat office held a discussion on Ba'asyir's book at the North Sumatra Cultural Park in Medan. |
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| Southeast Asia |
| Abu Jibril sprung |
| 2004-10-27 |
| After spending more than three years behind bars in Malaysia and Indonesia, radical Indonesian cleric Abu Jibril is finally a free man. He was released from Central Jakarta's Salemba jail at 12.10am Thursday after a serving a sentence of five months and 15 days for immigration offenses. Jibril alias Muhammad Iqbal Abdul Rahman (47) was first arrested in Malaysia on June 30, 2001, during a crackdown on local militant organization Kumpulan Militan Malaysia and regional terrorism group Jemaah Islamiyah. He was detained for two years under Malaysia's tough Internal Security Act on suspicion of links to terrorism. He was then held for almost a year on immigration violations, before being deported on May 14, 2004. Jibril was immediately taken into custody upon his arrival in Jakarta. Prosecutors initially accused him of involvement in several bombings in Indonesia but later dropped the charges due to a lack of evidence. Central Jakarta District Court on October 19 sentenced Jibril to five months and 15 days in jail for falsifying his identity, after he confessed to having provided false data to obtain a passport from the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur in April 1999. He had changed his name to Fihiruddin Moqtie bin Abdul Rahman on his identity card and later identified himself as Muhammad Iqbal bin Arrahman to obtain the passport, which also stated he was born in Yogyakarta, whereas his actual birthplace was Lombok island in West Nusa Tenggara province. He also admitted to using a broker and colluding with an embassy official to get the passport. The cleric was released on Thursday as he had already served more than five months on remand. "Abu Jibril left Salemba jail at 12.10am precisely. He is in good health and feels relieved to be free," his lawyer Munarman was quoted as saying by detikcom online news portal. The lawyer said Jibril's first act as a free man would be to have a pre-dawn meal with members of the Indonesian Mujahidin Council (MMI), which is chaired by his older brother Irfan S. Awwas. |
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| Southeast Asia |
| Timeline: Baasyir, Bombs & the Law |
| 2003-12-02 |
Baasyirâs current trouble with the Indonesian Government is not over Bali -- although those bad acts probably prompted his current troubles. Just give the Indonesians enough time, and Baasyir is not likely to roam free again . . . In addition to his current case, Baasyir has attempted to sue Singapore and Time magazine for linking him to terrorism. Both lawsuits have been thrown out of court. August 17, 1938: Baasyir is born in Pekunden village in Jombang, East Java province. His father and grandfather were immigrants from the Hadramawt region of southeastern Yemen. His mother was of mixed Yemeni and Javanese descent. * * * 1982: Baasyir is released from jail after serving nearly four years of his subversion sentence. Continues to work underground for the cause of establishing shariah law in Indonesia. April 1985: Flees to Malaysia to escape further imprisonment. Allegedly co-founds Jemaah Islamiyah. He also meets with an Afghanistan War veteran from West Java called Hambali, who goes on to become operational commander of Jemaah Islamiyah. 1998: Baasyir returns to Indonesia following the May 1998 resignation of Suharto. Resumes his role as head of the Islamic boarding school in Ngruki. 1999: Allegedly inherits the leadership of Jemaah Islamiyah following the death of Abdullah Sungkar. August 2000: Co-founds the Indonesian Mujahidin Council, which wants secular Indonesia to adopt strict Islamic law. December 24, 2000: Bomb blasts outside churches and priestsâ houses kill 19 people across the country. Regional terrorism network Jemaah Islamiyah, which has been linked to Osama bin Ladenâs al Qaeda network, is later blamed for the attacks. October 12, 2002: Two nightclubs packed with revelers are bombed on the resort island of Bali, killing 202 people, mostly foreign tourists. Authorities later blame the attacks on Jemaah Islamiyah. Baasyir strongly denies allegations he is the spiritual leader of Jemaah Islamiyah. * * * October 19, 2002: Police arrest Baasyir, who remains in hospital, on charges of treason and authorizing the Christmas Eve 2000 church bombings. * * * April 23, 2003: Baasyir goes on trial at Central Jakarta District Court on four charges of treason, authorizing bombings, immigration offenses and falsifying identity documents. * * * September 2, 2003: Central Jakarta District Court sentences Baasyir to four years in jail for treason and falsification of documents, but is acquitted of being the leader of Jemaah Islamiyah and of ordering the assassination of Megawati. * * * Pre-November 24, 2003: Jakarta High Court, on a date yet to be publicly revealed, quashes Baasyirâs treason conviction but upholds his guilty verdict on the lesser charges of falsification of documents. His sentence is reduced from four years to three years. The ruling is not publicly announced until December. * * * December 2, 2003: Baasyirâs lawyers file an appeal to the Supreme Court against their clientâs three-year conviction on falsification of identity documents and immigration violations. Meanwhile, prosecutors say they will also go to the Supreme Court to appeal against the rulings of Central Jakarta District Court and Jakarta High Court. Salman Maryadi, head of the Central Jakarta Prosecution Office, says prosecutors are certain that judges at the Supreme Court will find Baasyir guilty of leading acts of treason. |
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| Southeast Asia | ||||
| Mujahidin Council asks court to allow Bashir to attend congress | ||||
| 2003-07-24 | ||||
JAKARTA: Leaders of the Indonesian Mujahidin Council (MMI) have requested the Central Jakarta district court allow Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Bashir to attend its second congress in Surakarta, Central Java, on Aug. 10 through Aug. 12.
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