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omeone has to fight evil, though evil will never die. These words may be kept in mind by the National Police’s Detachment 88 antiterrorism squad when combating terrorist networks in Indonesia these days.

Some people said the acts of Detachment 88 will only trigger retaliation from Muslims, and the killing of the suspected terrorists will raise other mujahedeens to launch new attacks.

The theory, though from some perspectives it is understandable, should not stop our state’s security apparatus from fighting evil. In other words, no matter how large a price to be paid, retaliation by evil should not discourage efforts to uphold the truth and to guard the state.

Now the police are collecting evidence to charge Abu Bakar Ba’asyir for his involvement with the CIMB Niaga bank heist in Medan and the attack on the Hamparan Perak Police station in Deli Serdang, North Sumatra, recently.

Dragging Ba’asyir to court — as long as it supported by solid evidence — must get the full support from everyone who wants to protect our country from any movements to destroy democracy and state principals.

Ba’asyir has said in many interviews that he and his followers want to transform Indonesia into an Islamic state by any and all means.

His stance to accept criminal acts with a pretext as long as they are done for the cause of Islam — will ignite those who have been indoctrinated by radicalism to copy those acts. In every moment related to the death of the so-called jihadists, Ba’asyir acted as the anointer and said: “May Allah glorify their souls.”

What Ba’asyir has been instigating in Muslims — to wage war on everyone who opposes their plan — is very dangerous. That’s why we have to stop it. He told his followers that if they can no longer do it through sermons then they are obliged to wage war.

A survey conducted nationwide by the Center for the Study of Islam and Society recently about interreligious relationships shows that intolerance among Muslims towards non-Muslims is on the rise.

Fifty-seven percent of respondents expressed their objections to non-Muslims building new places of worship. The percentage is the highest ever recorded within the past 10 years. The survey also said that the more intolerant a Muslim is, the more likely it is that the person will support the extremist agenda. We can see this example in what has happened with the HKBP church in Bekasi recently.

We have to encourage the state apparatus to have no doubts in keeping the state of Indonesia unified despite criticism from some scaremongers who often use human rights issues as scarecrows. The police also have no reason to fear accusations of hostility towards Islam, because the majority of Muslims in this country condemn terrorism.

Someone has to fight evil, though evil will never die. Our apathetic behavior basically is as dangerous as evil itself, as Albert Einstein said: “The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don’t do anything about it.”

Titus Jonathan

Tangerang, Banten