Jakarta,
Aug 16, 2014 (Antara) - Indonesia is not an Islamic state although more than
80 percent of its 250 million people are Muslims, and therefore it
rejects the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)'s ideology on its
land.
"Indonesia is a state that believes in one supreme God but it is not a
country based on a certain religion," President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
said when delivering his last state-of-the-nation address related to
the 69th anniversary of Indonesia's Independence at the Parliament
Building in Jakarta, on August 15, 2014.
Proclaiming
its independence on August 17, 1945, Indonesia has its state ideology
called "Pancasila" (Five Principles) consisting of Belief in the one and
only God; Just and civilized humanity; Unity of Indonesia; Democracy
guided by the inner wisdom in the unanimity arising out of deliberations
amongst representatives; and Social justice for all the people of
Indonesia.
Indonesia, which officially recognizes six religions: Islam,
Catholicism, Protestantism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Confucianism, has
announced its rejection of the ISIS and has banned the teaching of
ISIS's ideology in the country.
In his address, Yudhoyono urged the public to maintain their identity
as Indonesians which are characterized by Pancasila - diversity, the
spirit of unity, tolerance, politeness, pluralism and humanity.
"If our founding fathers struggled for independence to the last drop of
their blood, it is our generation today that has to defend the
characteristics of Indonesia to the last drop of their blood. It is for
this reason, the government strongly rejects the propagation of the
misguided teaching of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in
Indonesia because it is completely against, and even detrimental to our
identity," he said.
The
government's stance on the ISIS was praised by the Indonesian House of
Representatives (DPR). "The House supports the firm stance of the
government that bans the ISIS ideology in Indonesia," House Speaker,
Marzuki Alie, stated while opening the joint session of the House of
Representatives (DPR), the Regional Representative Council (DPD), and
the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), with the president's address
being the only item on the agenda.
The ISIS ideology was extremely radical and had the potential to hinder national security and stability, Alie stated.
The
government and the public must safeguard Indonesian unity by rejecting
movements or organizations such as the ISIS whose ideology contradicts
Indonesia's Pancasila ideology, he emphasized.
Most Muslim-based organizations in Indonesia have denounced the
violence committed by the ISIS and rejected its ideology.
The
ISIS movement was more dangerous than the radicals in this country,
Indonesian Ulemas Council (MUI) general chairman, Din Syamsuddin, has
stated.
"If
other groups (the radicals) make America an enemy, the ISIS makes
Muslims their enemies," Din said recently, adding that the ISIS can
destabilize the nation and the state.
The
ISIS becomes very dangerous because it is laden with violence,
destruction, demonstration, and use of weapons, according to him.
In
spreading its teachings, the ISIS justifies violence, such as suicide
bombings, looting banks, mass murder, rapes, as well as damaging
sanctuaries.
MUI and representatives of 38 Muslim organizations in the country have
prohibited the ISIS, but decided there was no need to set a "fatwa
haram" (illicit edict), he pointed out.
To prevent the spread of ISIS' teachings in Indonesia, the Indonesian
National Police is collaborating with immigration officials to tighten
the supervision of Indonesian citizens traveling to Iraq and Syria.
"The
police is working closely with the immigration office and coordinating
with the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights for identifying Indonesian
citizens who go directly to Iraq and Syria or through the countries of
the Middle East," Indonesian National Police Chief, General Sutarman,
stated in Jakarta recently.
The police had received information that there were 56 Indonesians who
went to Syria, of which four had died, according to him.
The police has mapped a local group, which is allegedly affiliated with the ISIS, and communities who have been influenced by their ideology.
The police has mapped a local group, which is allegedly affiliated with the ISIS, and communities who have been influenced by their ideology.
A
joint team of the Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) and police personnel
recently arrested seven people suspected to be supporters of the ISIS
movement, including their chief, Chep Hermawan.
Chep Hermawan was arrested after he declared himself the ISIS chief for
the Indonesian region several days ago along with six others at a gas
filling station in Cilopadang, Cilacap, Central Java.
Meanwhile, the Jakarta Police has been monitoring the cyber world to track the developments of the ISIS.
"We
are patrolling the cyber world to monitor the ISIS networks in
Indonesia," Adjunct Senior Commissioner, Hilarius Duha, the Jakarta
Police's Cyber Crime sub-directorate head, stated recently.
The monitoring was crucial to detect any spread of the ideology or
teachings banned by the Indonesian government, he added. The Jakarta
Police has also sent security officers and intelligence agents to detect
the likely presence of ISIS members, he noted.
A public campaign was also carried out to increase public awareness of the dangers of ISIS, he added. ***1***
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