Farouk Arnaz – After a provocative text message began circulating in East Java urging Muslims to go to Ambon to wage jihad following a deadly sectarian clash there, the Indonesian Council of Ulema on Friday discouraged Muslim organizations from doing so.
"We guarantee no Muslim organizations will be provoked to go to Ambon. We have to sit down together and discuss the situation," Abdussomad Bukhori, the head of the East Java branch of the council (MUI), said on Friday.
The MUI, Abdussomad said, has been staging talks with groups like Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah as well as hardliners such as the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI).
The MUI's efforts reflect what happened during a previous stretch of violence in Ambon, where from 1999 to 2002 thousands of Muslims traveled there to perpetuate a protracted sectarian conflict that killed an estimated 9,000 Christians and Muslims and displaced many more.
Some of those militants went on to join terrorist networks such as Jemaah Islamiyah and Abu Sayyaf, located in the southern Philippines.
On Thursday, National Police Chief Gen. Timur Pradopo was in Ambon to assess security conditions.
According to National Police deputy spokesman Brig. Gen. Ketut Untung Yoga, Timur concluded his visit by giving three instructions to the local officials. "The first is to maintain Ambon's current calm and prevent future chaos from happening," Ketut said.
Second, Timur asked Ambon police to expedite their investigation into the riot, Ketut said. "The third is an order to local officers to be vigilant and anticipate all possibilities," he said.
The recent clash in Ambon was sparked by rumors that spiraled out of control after a motorcycle taxi driver suffered a fatal traffic accident.
The driver died from his injuries on his way to the hospital, but a viral SMS fueled false reports that the driver had been tortured and killed by Christians. That prompted a violent clash between two groups, one of which is believed to have included the man's family, shortly after his funeral on Sunday.
Thrown rocks caused a number of injuries, but at least seven fatalities resulted from gunshot wounds, according to Dr. Ita Sabrina of Dr. M. Haulussy Public Hospital. A mob also vandalized a number of buildings and vehicles.
As a precaution, police have been seizing sharp weapons and guns on passenger ships bound for Ambon, so far netting more than 130 items.
Ambon, the capital of the Maluku province, has a history of violence. In 1950, it was the center of an uprising against Indonesian rule instigated by the breakaway Republic of South Maluku, which continues to exist in exile.
[Additional reporting by Antara.]