The war in Aceh also prompts a crisis in Islamic jurisprudence, or fiqh. As a general rule, Muslims are discouraged from pursuing separatist agendas that threaten the unity of the Ummah, or greater Muslim nation. As such, you will often hear Muslim scholars hasten to condemn any movement perceived to be “separatist.” The crisis, however, lies in the all-too frequent cases where the separation is attempted on religious grounds. To put it another way, serious and legitimate doubts have been voiced as to whether it was the stability of secular, despotic, military dictatorships Islam meant to maintain when such edicts were issued.

Alternatively, one wonders if perhaps Muslim communities that have suffered so terribly and for so long would be entitled to our moral support in their struggle for independence. They are troubling questions to which one sees little likelihood of a straightforward resolution.

It is difficult to be optimistic in these times we live in, and one has learned to see nothing heartening in most developments. However, perhaps it is worth noting what official reaction there has been to the massacres taking place in Aceh.

According to the Guardian, the UK has protested the use of its Scorpions and Hawks in Aceh, and has threatened to deny Jakarta spare parts. Perhaps I am not alone in believing this situation can be summed up as “too little, too late.” My earlier accusation stands. You sell weapons to a brutal military with an atrocious human rights record and then whine when they use it to kill civilians. How appropriate.

The US: Powell’s waffling speech to the recent ASEAN forum, where he allegedly found blame on both sides, conceals a much more decisive stance: According to the same Congressional Service Report cited, the US is actively pursuing a restoration of its links with the TNI, in the aftermath of East Timor. As such, US counter-terrorism training has been instituted for the TNI, with a $50 million package being granted Indonesia in August of last year. Remember, Washington needs cooperation in its war against the scourge of Terror. If that comes at the cost of a few charred corpses in the jungle, so be it.

ASEAN, of course, decided to call for a peaceful resolution while ensuring that steps be taken to deny the Acehnese weapons. Naturally, peace will ensue once GAM runs out of ammunition and the TNI is done running amok through Aceh.

Australia. Ah well, Australia’s all action now, what with Bali and all that. Decisive. And so, a resounding Australian “No” to Acehnese independence. Naturally, East Timor was a whole different ballgame. As Alexander Downer, Australia’s foreign minister, puts it, the separation of Aceh would create, God forbid, “instability,” and would be dangerous to Indonesia. And we’ve all just had as much instability as we can take now, eh?

According to BBC Online, Downer finds that there are enough problems in the region, and that we needn’t compound them by the dissolution of Indonesia. East Timor was, conveniently, enough. Aceh would be the straw that broke the camel’s back. As such, the rebels should lay down their arms and get back to the negotiating table, though it is worth noting the Indonesian government has a nasty habit of arresting Acehnese negotiators.

It’s a sad day for Muslims. We cannot live in denial anymore. It’s about time we woke up to reality. Not all evil comes from outside. Evil comes also from the despots and corrupt dictators who rule us with alien laws, laws that are frequently antithetical to our beliefs and values, even though many of these dictators are merely puppets of the West. Nationalism has become a curse afflicting Islam, the nationalism that blinds people to crimes committed in the name of country or nation.

Muslims, stop the killing in Aceh. No one will do it for us. Do not look Westward. The West does not care. It is time we learned to save ourselves.