JP/P.J. Leo

As’ad Said Ali, deputy chief of the National Intelligence Agency, always looks passionate when he talks about the country’s largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama, and its basic values: a moderate, tolerant and inclusive Islam.

Although his position at the National Intelligence Agency (BIN) means As’ad cannot be officially active in NU, he is proud to be associated with the organization. And so important is it to him that, when the topic shifts to security and political issues, the veteran intelligence officer shifts it back to issues related to Islam and NU.

Born in Kudus, Central Java, on Dec. 19, 1949, to a family with a strong NU strong tradition, As’ad owes much to NU.

His father Said Ali and mother Asyrofah were both actively involved in pesantren (Islamic boarding schools) and NU.

As a student in his hometown of Kudus, he was active in NU’s youth wing organization, IPNU, and later, as a university student in Yogyakarta, he was active in the Indonesian Islamic Students Association (PMII) and Islamic Students Association (HMI).

Soon after graduating from Gadjah Mada University’s School of Social and Political Sciences in 1974, he joined BIN (then called BAKIN, or Intelligence Coordinating Agency).

His pesantren background and his deep sympathies with NU played a crucial role in developing his career as a professional intelligence agent. His mastery of Arabic paved the way for him to be stationed in several countries in the Middle East, including Syria. His youngest child was born in Damascus in 1987.

The election of Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid as the country’s fourth president in October 1999, a position he held until July 2001, gave As’ad even greater opportunities for promotion within the intelligence agency, because he and Gus Dur came to know each other well when the former president was NU chairman.

In 2001, As’ad was promoted, replacing a senior army general as BIN deputy chief. He became the first civilian to hold second highest position in BIN.

“I am a Muslim and always try to be a good Muslim, but we Muslims can’t force people from different religions to embrace our religious teachings,” he says.

He gave as an example the prohibition for Muslims to drink alcohol, because it is haram according to
the Koran.

“I have no right to prohibit people from different religions from drinking alcohol based on my religion, because their religion does not regulate it,” As’ad says. “But when they get drunk and disturb
the public order, then I can tell them not to drink.”

In a recent conversation with The Jakarta Post during a chance meeting in a Jakarta bookstore, As’ad expressed his hope that NU leaders would pay much more attention to the social and economic welfare of the organization’s millions of members, most of whom are living in poverty.

While emphasizing that most NU members are moderate and inclusive Muslims, As’ad could not hide his concern that transnational Islamic organizations, including fundamentalists, are now trying to infiltrate to the organization.

“The transnational Islamic movement will continue to grow in Indonesia,” he says. “This is happening because of its international networks and its aggressive promulgation, which will possibly undermine the bases of local Islamic movements.”

This is a topic he also covers in his second book, Negara Pancasila (Pancasila State), which was released earlier this year. (His first book, Pergolakan di Jantung Tradisi: NU yang Saya Amati (Upheaval at the Heart of Tradition: My Observations on NU), was published in 2008.)
In Negara Pancasila, As’ad discusses how NU and Muhammadiyah, the country’s second
largest Muslim organization, have been infiltrated by transnational Islamic organizations.

“Muhammadiyah bases in urban areas, for instance, are being stolen little by little by Ikhwanul Muslimin and Hizbut Tahrir, while Jama’ah Tabligh has begun to undermine important NU constituents in cities,” he writes on page 306 of the book.

“Meanwhile, the Salafi movement is trying to grab puritanical NU members through ‘pesantren approaches’. The bases of Darul Islam [a separatist movement] followers are finding international networks through ‘jihad’, while Jama’ah Tabligh is eyeing Sufi communities.”

When asked about terrorist activities in Indonesia, he says that in the beginning there was a strong reluctance among Muslims to accept the bitter facts because the terrorists always link their activities to Islam, although terrorism has nothing to do with religion.

“Two years ago Rhoma Irama [a popular dangdut singer and composer] came to see me. He said it was  impossible that Muslims had become terrorists,” he recalls.

But after As’ad related the history of Islam, with its occurrence of killings and violence among
Muslims, the singer acknowledged that it is possible for Muslims to become terrorists, but for political and not religious reasons.

But the intelligence agent also emphasized that radicalism and fundamentalism are not exclusive to Islam. Other religions, including Christianity, have similar movements.

“There are still Christian fundamentalist movements which from an ideological point of view have the potential to clash with other movements,” he writes in Negara Pancasila.

Despite his demanding workload and books, As’ad also finds time for his beloved sports, golf and jogging, and is a regular columnist for several national and local newspapers.

Senior NU members describe him as a prominent NU intellectual.

As’ad will turn to 60 in December this year. Although he declined to discuss his future, he indicated that he might become more active in NU, especially to help improve the quality of life of the organization’s members.

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