NU chief Hasyim Muzadi said the largest moderate Muslim organization would formulate strategic programs to achieve the goal in its congress in Makassar, South Sulawesi from March 22 through 27.

Speaking at a seminar, Hasyim said that despite appearing calm, predominantly Muslim Indonesia is fertile ground for terrorism.

He said that radicals launch attacks as a way to fight global injustices and, in Indonesia, it is developing into a war of ideologies.

“The congress will discuss the role of NU and its clerics in making the majority Muslims practise true Islamic teachings. Muslims have to be able to institutionalize the Islamic values and become good citizens in the plural society,” he said.

NU wants to cooperate with the country’s second largest Muslim organization, Muhammadiyah, to campaign for moderation and deradicalization to prevent religious extremism and terrorism.  

Hasyim who has led NU for the past 10 years, stressed the importance of a nationwide campaign of deradicalization.

“Many Muslim people returning from the Middle East become more Arabic than Arab people, and people returning from the US have become more American than Americans.”

According to him, counter terrorism measures should stem from alliances between organizations that believe it is wrong to replace the nation’s ideology.

“For NU, Pancasila is the final state ideology. All NU members and leaders have accepted and defended the Indonesian unitary state as well as the democratic political system.”

Former chief of the Indonesian Intelligence Agency (BIN) AM Hendropriyono said he was delighted to hear the upcoming NU congress would address terrorism.

He said that terrorism is a crime that could not be effectively dealt with by the existing justice system alone.

“One offender may be jailed but another 1,000 will emerge to fight for the ideology because they are ready to defend their credo. This has been proved by the string of terrorist attacks following 9/11,” he said.

He stressed that counter-terrorism should be implemented on a preventive basis and involve religious organizations and the intelligence agency.

“So, the NU congress can be part of the national consolidation with all stakeholders, including the government and other organizations. They can join forces to prevent the infiltration and emergence of extreme ideologies,” he said.

The series of fatal terrorist attacks in the past would not have happened if people of different religious beliefs had been aware of the death and destruction they would cause, he said.

“This awareness should have come from both leaders and common people.”

The government is drafting an intelligence law that will allow spy agencies to carry out deradicalization programs to fight terrorism.

“As part of the programs, BIN can detain terror suspects, at the knowledge of their relatives, to be deradicalized before they are sent back to their groups to help their group members out,” he added.

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