Radical cleric Abubakar Ba'asyir attempted to reignite Islamic extremist sentiments Thursday as he oversaw the hero's welcome for the bodies of deceased terrorists Air Setyawan and Eko Joko Sarjono in Sragen, Central Java.

Hundreds of hard-line Muslims lined the streets to praise the men, who are widely believed to be responsible for the Jakarta hotel bombings on July 17 that killed nine and left dozens wounded.

Before his followers, Abubakar declared Air and Eko as Mujahid (a person involved in Jihad or fi ghting in the name of Islam), which is considered the highest honor to be granted to a Muslim.

Fears are mounting that Abubakar's statements may fuel younger followers of Islam, some of whom are exposed to extremism in their Islamic boarding schools and small prayer groups, to empathize with terrorist ideology.

Efforts to infl uence youngsters with radical ideologies has already been widely reported throughout Indonesia, with certain fi rebrand clerics directing messages of anger at "infi dels" and the Muslims who support them.

"These kind of clerics who encourage violence are undoubtedly helping create future terrorists," said Ansjaad Mbai, head of the counterterrorism desk at the Offi ce of the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs.

"But our society is in general too permissive toward these kinds of teachings, believing an urban legend that terrorism in Indonesia is masterminded by the intelligence services."

The acceptance of such teachings has started to creep into Indonesia's middle class.

A weekly sermon involving housewives in a residential area in Pamulang, Tanggerang - just 5 kilometers from South Jakarta - happily agreed to a request from their clerics to donate money to cover the burial expenses of terrorist Imam Samudra, who was executed in November 2008. The donations were also used for other practices related to the "spread of God's will", which includes Jihad.

These occurrences, however, seem to be ignored by Islamic political parties, notably the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), now the nation's largest Islamic political powerhouse.

Senior offi cials with the PKS historically had links to the nowdefunct Darul Islam movement, which pushed for Indonesia to become an Islamic state. Analysts say the party has so far played little to no role trying to diffuse radical teachings.

"The party should be getting out into society to try and prevent people from becoming involved with radical teachings or movements that lead toward terrorism," said Noor Huda Ismail, founder of the Prasasti Perdamaian Foundation, which engages with former terrorists to try rehabilitate them.

"I have not seen any effort *by PKS* or any other parties or government agencies to actually engaged in the rehabilitation *of terrorists*."

Chairman of the PKS at the House of Representatives, Al Muzzammil Yusuf, claimed the party had made signifi cant gains eradicating radicalism, and insisted terrorism in Indonesia was probably being masterminded by Western intelligence communities.

While other Islamic parties have sent their senior offi cials to visit the victims of the recent attacks on JW Marriott and Ritz Carlton hotels, PKS senior offi cials have kept things low. "I just happen to have not had the chance to visit them *the victims*," said PKS chairman Tiffatul Sembiring.

Ansjaad said political parties were supposed to be helping spearhead counterterrorism by pushing the government to strengthen regulations on terrorism and persuade clerics against delivering hard line sermons.

Yudhoyono, despite declaring terrorism a crime against humanity, has not yet prioritized the establishment of any programs aimed at softening radicalism movements and preventing the emergency of future terrorist sympathizers.

Programs should include measures for identifying potentially radical clerics and for reforming convicted terrorists in prison.

The only steps taken to discourage radicalism and rehabilitate former terrorists have been by the police, the University of Indonesia (UI) and the Prasasti Perdamaian Foundation, but there are not any standard programs in place yet.

Since 2006, UI has carried out research into ways to stamp out radicalism from former terrorists and those serving jail terms, and earlier this year launched a new program trying to dissuade convicted terrorists from future attacks, said noted psychologist Sarlito Wirawan Sarwono, who coordinated the research.

The program is voluntarily and undertaken by 52 former and convicted terrorists. At present there are around 200 former terrorists who have not been approached by this program.

Farihin, a former terrorist and veteran of the Afghanistan war, said the program is held every Tuesday and Thursday at the Muslimin Orphanage House in Senen, Central Jakarta.

The program includes debates and question sessions with Muslim scholars over the meaning of Jihad and other Islamic teachings and laws.

"They *the instructors* can prevent me from committing violence in the name of Islam but not from preaching and upholding the Islamic law," said Farihin, who agreed to join the program under condition that he be allowed to continue preaching for Indonesia to become an Islamic state.

additional reporting by Dicky Christanto in Jakarta, Blontank Poer and Suherdjoko in Surakarta, Central Java.

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