Ansyaad Mbai, head of the antiterror desk at the Office of the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, said the threat of terrorism remained even though police had killed terror suspect Noordin M. Top and several of his closest accomplices.

A recent raid in Ciputat, Banten, led to the arrest of two students and a graduate of Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University in Tangerang, for having allegedly assisted suspects in the July 17 hotel bombings. The arrest raised concerns that campuses could be a hotbed for recruitment of terrorist cadres.

Whether terrorists were able to recruit cadres within the campuses depended very much on local communities, Ansyaad said.

"If the neighborhood fights against *the cadre formation*, terrorist groups will not find it easy to recruit," he said on the sidelines of a seminar on Thursday on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's leadership, terrorism and the future of democracy in Indonesia.

The discussion, organized by the Center for Information and Development Studies, concluded that Yudhoyono should be working harder to eradicate terrorism.

Noted Muslim scholar Azyumardi Azra said terror activities posed a threat to democracy.

"For years, we have managed to bring Islam to live side by side with democracy. We proved that Islam was a religion of peace, but the terrorists have ruined things," Azyumardi said.

Terrorism had not helped Muslims living in Indonesia, he said.

"Instead, terror activities are detrimental to Muslims. Many Muslims have fallen victim to terror activities, not only physically but also financially," he said.

"Many lost jobs and sources of income after the Bali bombing."

To deal with terrorism, Azyumardi urged the government to establish political communication with Muslim organizations such as Nadhlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah.

"An effort to communicate with such organizations was once made by then vice president Jusuf Kalla," he said.

"After the second Bali bombing in 2005, he held a dialogue with prominent Muslim figures, who then agreed to form a team to disseminate the real meaning of jihad in Muslim schools; this was successful political communication."

Ansyaad, however, preferred other means to fight terrorism.

The Terrorism law must be amended to improve the capacity of intelligence to apprehend those who preach hatred and openly support acts of terrorism, he said.

"We need a stronger law if we want to combat terrorism. The way police handle terrorist activities tends to be responsive and reacts only to stimulus," he said.

"It's almost as if they wait for bombs to explode before taking action."

Ansyaad said Malaysia and Singapore had strong laws that helped the two countries control terrorism.

Azyumardi did not support the idea of a strong law because it could criminalise innocent people.

"We have to be able to differentiate between radicalism and terrorism," he said.

"People may have radical ideas, but that doesn't mean they terrorize people."

Such laws could also be used against political rivals, he added.

Generalizations and the stigmatization of people who identify their faith through appearance had taken a toll on Muslims, Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI) spokesman Ismail Yusanto said.

"A couple was suspected of being terrorists and they were interro-gated by residents in Lampung because the husband has a mustache ... and his wife wears a long veil," he said.

"A democracy should make room for people who want to practice Islamic laws." (adh)

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