NU chairman deplores suicide bombing attempt

Malang, NU Online
The chairman of the country's largest Muslim organization says he is concerned there may be a growing trend among young Muslims to idolize terrorist bomb expert Azahari, who was killed in a police raid last year.

Hasyim Muzadi of Nahdlatul Ulmama (NU) made the remarks after 36-year old Muhammad Nuh apparently attempted a suicide bombing using a low-grade explosive at a fast food restaurant in East Jakarta on Saturday.

<>Muzadi said this was a symptom of a new phenomenon among young Muslims who had little understanding of religion and looked up to the late Azahari, who is believed to have masterminded bombings in Bali and Jakarta.

"They usually learn about Islam like something they pick up along the road; not thoroughly. They don't learn much from the holy book, but they feel they are very knowledgeable and they want to get something immediately," Muzadi said Monday at his home in Malang.

Muzadi urged all NU members studying at Islamic boarding schools to be aware of this phenomenon. He expressed the hope that NU students would not be easily lured into any form of resistance that was not in line with Islamic teachings.

He said he believed his organization was not producing any suicide bombers, because NU members learned Islam based on the Koran and the Hadiths (the narrative of the Prophet Muhammad and his companions), whereas perpetrators of terror did not.

While he disagrees with U.S. political and foreign policies, Muzadi has condemned acts of terrorism in Indonesia, especially ahead of U.S. President George W. Bush's visit here on Nov. 20.

"We must deplore the suicide bombings because fighting Bush in that manner can be used by the U.S. as a justification for their accusations that terror persists in the Muslim community," he said.

He said the U.S. was not only attacking in a military sense, but also in such fields as economics, culture and politics. He urged Muslims to strengthen their understanding of these areas.

Muzadi also blamed the U.S. government for provoking aggression from Muslim hard-line groups.

He said he did not personally object to Bush's visit to Indonesia because it was part of Indonesia's international relations.

Muzadi, who is president of the World Conference of Religions for Peace, said violent acts by Muslims throughout the world were due not only to differences of prospective on Islam, but also to external factors, such as U.S. aggression against Muslim countries.

He said Bush had not entirely heeded the advice conveyed by religious leaders on quelling acts of violence against the U.S. during his last visit, in Bali.

"For that reason, I've stated far in advance that I will not attend if I'm invited to meet Bush, because it won't be worthwhile," said Hasyim.

Muzadi said the violence would only get worse as long as the U.S. imposed what he called a double standard on the Israel-Palestine peace process, and as long as the administration dragged its feet on the withdrawal of troops from Iraq and involved religion in aggression.

He added that the religious subtext of the Iraq war had the potential to foment hatred among Muslims, create differences of perspective in Islam itself and spark inter-religious conflicts. (tjp/dar)