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Indonesia: Anti-American Sweeping a Terrorist Act
By Kazi Mahmood
JAKARTA, Oct 2 (IslamOnline) - Indonesia's intelligence chief said Tuesday that anti-American sweeping (conducting searches) can be categorized as a form of terrorism and that firm action must be taken against the perpetrators.
All movements or actions that incite unrest and chaos among the people and thereby damage the country's image can be categorized as terrorism, the head of the State Intelligence Body (BIN), A.M. Hendropriyono, said.
Hendropriyono asserted that plans of certain religious groups to search for and expel Americans and citizens from allied countries were against the law.
"Such actions are irresponsible. They [the conservative religious groups] are not the official law enforcers. Sweeping is a police duty," he said, as quoted by Metro TV.
"Now we have to deal with terrorism and we have to stop it. Anarchy is a form of terrorism and therefore any action that incites hysteria among the people, triggers chaos and thereby tarnishing the country's image can be categorized as [a form of] terrorism," the retired three-star general said.
U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia Robert S. Gelbard has strongly criticized the police for failing to stop certain religious groups threatening to hunt down Americans.
Conservative religious groups maintain, however, that they never said they would hunt down Americans, rather urge them to leave Indonesia or bar them from coming in. This, they say, is in protest of the current sweeping of Muslims in the U.S.
They added they would sweep Americans if the U.S. attacks any Muslim nation in retaliation for the September 11th attacks on the U.S.
In addition, former president Abdurrahman "Gus Dur" Wahid has voiced opposition to "sweeping" activities by several hardline religious groups against U.S. citizens in Indonesia.
The influential leader of Indonesia's largest Muslim organization, the Nadhlatul Ulama, stated on Monday that according to Islamic teachings, civilian groups had no right whatsoever to mount such action.
"They don't have the right. In Islam, only government agencies have the right and authority to conduct such kind of action, nobody else," he said.
Abdurrahman Wahid also expressed doubt whether Muslim volunteers have the fortititude to go to Afghanistan should the United States strike the country.
"Expressing solidarity is all right. But don't resort to violence, because it is against the law and Islamic teachings," he said Monday.
Ten thousand Indonesians are said to have signed on for a legion that would be sent to fight for the Taliban in defense of the Emirate of Afghanistan.
According to Agence France-Presse (AFP) an Indonesian official threatened to revoke the citizenship of would-be "jihad" (struggle) warriors amid signs that a U.S.-led attack on Afghanistan is imminent.
Immigration director Muhamad Indra, quoted by Tuesday's Jakarta Post, said Indonesians who join any jihad in Afghanistan could lose their citizenship since they would be engaging in overseas military action without government consent.
The Islamic Youth Movement says it has registered hundreds of volunteers for jihad in Afghanistan - where Osama bin Laden, Washington's chief suspect in the September 11th terror attacks on New York and the Pentagon, is a guest.
But the Jakarta Post said immigration offices nationwide would be ordered not to issue the necessary travel documents.
"This country is not declaring war against another country," Indra was quoted as saying.
"Letting them enter Afghanistan and join military groups to fight the U.S. and its allies is tantamount to us declaring war on the U.S."
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