Terrorism is not about religion: SBY

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Tuesday warned the public not to confuse terrorism with politics and religion as it could undermine the country’s counterterrorism measures.

In his opening speech at a Cabinet meeting at the Presidential Palace, Yudhoyono called on various parties to view the issue of terrorism in proportion.

“Don’t mix up [terrorism, politics and religion]. They are completely different,” he said.

“I’ve never brought the issue of terrorism into the political arena. We cannot link it with a certain religion because terrorism is not a religious teaching.”

Yudhoyono’s statement came as National Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Edward Aritonang said police had officially charged leading cleric Abu Bakar Ba’asyir under the terrorism law, which carries the maximum penalty of death.

“Abu Bakar Ba’asyir was involved in planning, training for acts of terror,” Edward said Tuesday.  

He cited police findings of a military training camp of terrorists in Aceh and an explosives laboratory in Bandung, West Java.

The President said that people “often misunderstand what law enforcement officers do to handle terrorism.”

Monday’s arrest of Ba’asyir, the spiritual leader of terrorist group Jamaah Islamiyah, has drawn outrage from Islamic activists and politicians from Islamic parties.

Legislator Nasir Jamil of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) said he believed the arrest was made merely to pander to the US.

Sonhadi bin Muhadjir, the spokesman for Jamaah Ansharut Tauhid (JAT), a radical group founded
by Ba’asyir,  said Tuesday that Ba’asyir’s arrest was engineered by  “infidels” and the US and Israeli intelligence services. He also warned of violent retaliation from the cleric’s followers.

Sonhadi said the group had appointed Muhammad Achwan as its acting leader following Ba’asyir’s arrest.

Achwan had been serving a life sentence for involvement in the bombing of the Borobudur Buddhist temple in Magelang, Central Java, in 1985.

In 2001, Achwan was released after being pardoned by then pre-sident Abdurrahman “Gus Dur”
Wahid.

Analysts, however, say they believed Achwan’s appointment as leader was a front, as the real leaders and intellectuals of JAT operated behind the scenes.

Yudhoyono called on the police and military to increase security following Ba’asyir’s arrest over fears of attacks by his followers, particularly during the upcoming Independence Day on Aug. 17 and during Ramadan.

CHARGES AGAINST ABU BAKAR BA’ASYIR

Violating the 2003 Terrorism Law for planning or inciting others to conduct crimes of terrorism.
The evidence related to the cleric’s role and involvement involve three matters:

• active in the planning of a terrorist act of setting up, blessing and controlling the military training
camp in Aceh, from the training to the commission of the terrorist act;
• active in fund raising mainly among leaders of the JAT in collecting data and distribution of funds to
individuals appointed for operations in Aceh;
• had knowledge of all these incidents [the police raids in Aceh, Central Java and West Java] from
regular reports, supported by visuals. The video tapes also included accountability of funding; the
reports were held in a number of places and witnessed by several people, all of whom have been
investigated.

Source: National Police