Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – The Indonesian government yesterday called on Muslims in the country to stop talking about conspiracy theories against the religion and start uniting in the fight against terrorism.
In a veiled reference to Muslim hardliners, who have accused the United States and its "Zionist allies" of being behind the previous spate of bombings in the country, Coordinating Minister for Security and Politics Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said terrorism was a real threat for the nation and one that needed to be fought collectively.
"This is the best moment for Indonesia as a nation to collectively express its commitment and responsibility against terrorism. We must not be defeated by terrorism, it's time to unite to fight it," he told a press briefing yesterday.
Even after the Bali and JW Marriott Hotel bombings, many Indonesians are still arguing over whether the events were part of an international conspiracy to destabilise Indonesia and undermine Islam.
"Stop debating this, and let the Indonesian police conduct its investigation and the intelligence agency to reveal its intelligence gathering," he said. He also urged other countries to "understand that Indonesia has taken steps to counter terrorism and stop blaming us for what has happened".
Today is the first time that the Indonesian government has addressed the terrorist issue so strongly. However, there has been suggestions that Jakarta should be firmer in tackling the public confusion that is arising from contradictory statements put out by various religious figures about the terrorist activities.
One of the perpetrators of such information is Mr Din Syamsudin, an executive of the country's highest Islamic body, the Indonesian Ulema Council, and of the second largest Muslim group, Muhammadiyah. Together with other hardliners, he has condemned the government for linking the terrorist attacks to the Jemaah Islamiah (JI) group, which they claim is a fictitious organisation created by the US and the CIA.
The government has been extremely cautious about making allegations against the JI and its role in the bombings for fear of offending Muslims. But the government has acknowledged that the perpetrators of many terrorist attacks in the country belong to the same militant group.
Even moderate figures such as former president Abdurrahman Wahid and Mr Nurcholish Madjid, who is seeking to run for the presidency next year, have called on the police not to identify the bombing suspects as JI members until there is clear proof.
Jemaah Islamiah literally means Islamic community and associating it to the blasts could upset the predominantly moderate Muslim majority, they said. Their comments do not represent the majority view. More often than not, these statements are made with a political agenda – they want the support of the hardliners, analysts said.