Muslim political groups are taking a keen interest in events in Israel and Lebanon.

On Sunday the 16th of July thousands of activists from various Muslim political groups, such as Partai Keadilan Sejahtera (PKS), Partai Amanat Nasional (PAN), Persatuan Umat Islam (PUI), and Hizbut Tahrir, marched in Jakarta, gathering around the Hotel Indonesia roundabout, to demonstrate against Israel’s attack on Lebanon and the Palestinian territories. Also in attendance was the leader of the FPI, Islamic Defenders Front, Ustad Jafar Sidik. The Palestinian cause has aroused similar outpourings of Islamic solidarity in recent months.

Rally for Palestine.

While the supporters of the PKS were seen to be dominant in numbers terms, Patrialis Akbar, of the PAN, was one of the orators. He demanded that the government take a firm line against Israel, a country with which Indonesia has no diplomatic relations. Ahmad Heriawan, from the PKS, chimed in with:

In the name of the Indonesian nation, Muslim society is hurt by these disproportional acts.
(Atas nama bangsa Indonesia, masyarakat Muslim terluka melihat aksi yang tidak proporsional itu.)

The president of the PKS, Tifatul Sembiring, a regular attendee at events such as this, urged the Indonesian government to lobby the United States government to seek an end to the Israeli attacks on Lebanon, and called for an international boycott of American and Israeli goods.

During the demonstration organisers succeeded in raising about 600 million rupiah, about $65,000, to be handed over to the Komite Nasional untuk Rakyat Palestina (KNRP), the Commission for the Palestinian People. 130 PKS activists were delegated the responsibility of gathering the money.

It’s already a routine, every time there is a demonstration we collect funds for Palestine.
(Ini sudah agenda rutin, setiap kali menggelar unjuk rasa kami selalu menggalang dana untuk Palestina.)

said Caca Cahayaningrat of the KNRP. Not only Muslims but people of other faiths were expected to contribute.

We target not just Muslims but also those of other religions. Palestine is not just an issue for the Islamic community but it is a national issue.
(Target penggalangan dana tidak hanya dari umat Islam saja, tapi juga yang beragama lain. Palestina bukan persoalan umat Islam saja, tapi ini persoalan negara.)

The money collected from marchers was expected to be added to by businessmen and others over the next few days. A bank account opened by the KNRP has so far received 1.5 billion rupiah, about 160,000 dollars, said Caca.

Muhammadiyah contributed 50 million rupiah, about $5500, not to the fund, but directly to the Palestinian mission in Jakarta. The leader of Muhammadiyah, Prof Dr Din Syamsuddin, said:

This is not just about trampling on a nation’s sovereignty, it’s also a matter of human rights, breaking human rights agreements, breaking United Nations conventions, and other forms of terrorism.
(Ini bukan saja menginjak-injak kedaulatan negara, tetapi juga melanggar Hak Asasi Manusia (HAM), melanggar perikemanusiaan, melanggar konvensi-konvensi PBB, dan sebagai bentuk terorisme.)

said Din, who is usually silent on the matter of Arab breaches of human rights laws. He also implored the Muslim nations of the world to unite against Israel.

Antara says that tomorrow, July 18th, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is scheduled to meet with Arab ambassadors to discuss the “brutal attacks”. Another report states that it is expected, by some, that officials from the United States embassy will engage in dialogue with Muslim leaders in Indonesia over the Israeli issue. Intelligence observer Wawan Purwanto said:

The US embassy should actively compose Indonesian Muslim`s mass organizations by holding constructive dialogs with their leaders, as well as central figures of Defence Ministry, Indonesian Defence Forces (TNI) and National Police chief.

in order to calm the feelings of Muslims in the country, who he said were easily moved to offence over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He made dire warnings in the event that his advice were not followed:

Therefore, religious elements and the US embassy should be jointly active in taking preventive measures because if they failed to do so, a chaotic situation and religious sentiment in Indonesia would be inevitable.

Meanwhile the Kontras, the Komisi Untuk Orang Hilang dan Korban Tindak Kekerasan, a human rights body, has also condemned the Israeli attacks. Usman Hamid, from Kontras, urged Indonesia to lobby the United Nations to take action against Israel.

Continued

Someone who passes for an academic, Hariyadi Wirawan, an international relations expert at the University of Indonesia, says that Israel has a grand strategy to invade and occupy Syria and Iran.

Starting from Palestinian problem, Israel’s agenda now is to enter Syria and Iran. Releasing her kidnapped soldiers is important, but her actual agenda has been clearly uncovered as civilians have become victims.

Another analyst, Smith Alhadar from the Jakarta-based Indonesian Society for Middle East Studies, says that the attack on Lebanon is a diversionary measure that enables Israel to obscure the fact that Hamas has “implicitly” recognised the Jewish state. Hamas, he says, recognises Israel implicitly because it has agreed to abide by agreements with Israel that had been signed by Fatah, previously.

Meanwhile a succession of government figures ploughed into the issue, with varying levels of credibility. Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Hassan Wirajuda said:

We renew our call on the U.N. Security Council which is responsible for restoring international peace and security, to take concrete measures to stop Israeli air and sea strikes.

without apparently making a similar call for Hizbullah to cease its own attacks. His boss, president Yudhoyono, called for a ceasefire, after having met with a gaggle of Arab ambassadors to Indonesia.

A ceasefire should be declared immediately.

he said boldly and added that a UN peace-keeping force should be assembled for duties in the conflict areas in the Middle East. The meeting was attended by a motley bunch of representatives of despots and desperados, that is, by the ambassadors of Morocco, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Turkey, Palestine and Iran, and the charges d’affaires of Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Syria.

The president also offered the services of an Indonesian military battalion to take part in any UN-sponsored peace-keeping force. And made monetary offers:

Indonesia is ready to provide one million US dollars as humanitarian aid for the victims of the conflict in the Middle East.

Yudhoyono also said that in the coming days he would name a special envoy to convey Indonesia’s position to the international community.

Never one to be left out, vice president Jusuf Kalla also chimed in with his two cents on the thorny middle eastern issue. Indonesia, which has no formal relations with Israel, could be a mediator between the disputing parties, he said. This offer was conveyed to the public by Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) deputy chairman Din Syamsuddin who claimed that Kalla had said something along those lines in a meeting with MUI leaders. Din said that the vice president had concretely proposed that Indonesia act as mediator provided Israel and Palestine really wanted to make peace with each other.

In related news the head of the ASEAN Muslim Youth Secretary (AMSEC), Suaib Didu, said in Jakarta today that 72 Indonesian citizens had already signed up for the “Pasukan Bom Jihad Palestina”, the Palestinian Jihad Bomb Squad. These 72 men join 57 Phillipinos, 36 Malaysians, 43 Thais, 5 Bruneians, 1 Singaporean, and 3 Bangladeshis, all aged between 30-45.

22 of the total, including 7 of the Indonesian contigent, have experience in Afghanistan and Palestine, and these men would form the leadership of the Squad. Suaib Didu claims that three of his men are not Muslims, but men who believe they are fighting for a humanitarian cause, and, Suaib Didu added, Jerusalem is a holy city not just for Muslims.

The Squad is meant to go into action by attacking the vital interests of Israel or of nations that are allied with it. They would not directly go to the middle east however, but would be sent to a number of different countries to carry out their works. Indonesia, he hastened to add, was safe from their attacks:

But I asked them not to operate in Indonesia because the situation in Indonesia is now a sad one, what with all the natural disasters that have happened. They promised they would not operate in Indonesia.
(Namun saya meminta mereka agar tidak beroperasi di Indonesia karena keadaan Indonesia sendiri kini sudah menderita dengan adanya sejumlah bencana yang terjadi. Mereka berjanji tidak akan beroperasi di Indonesia.)

Other countries, however, those which aid Israel in its war, will not be so safe:

They intend to attack anyone connected with Israel or Israelis.
(Awalnya mereka berniat menyerang siapa saja asal terkait Israel atau orang Israel.)

Update 21st July

About 2000 people in Ambon, Maluku, today demonstrated against Israel. Mainly comprised of university students the protestors came from various groups such as: Himpunan Mahasiswa Islam (HMI), Ikatan Mahasiswa Muhammadiyah (IMM), Ikatan Remaja Muhammadiyah (IRM), KAMMI, Pelajar Islam Indonesia (PII), Angkatan Muda Ka’bah, dan Lembaga Dakwah Kampus.

Speeches were given, songs were sung, prayers were said, Palestinian flags were waved, and Israeli flags were burned. Some participants in the rally carried with them fake guns, rocket launchers, and bombs, and these people tended to have their faces painted in the martial “ninja” style.

Local Muslim residents were reported to have responded enthusiastically to the procession, despite the traffic chaos it caused, and many people provided drinks and food to the marchers. The reaction of Christian residents is not reported. Tomorrow, 22nd July, there is planned another pro-Palestinian rally in Ambon city, this time held under the auspices of Islamic political parties such as Partai Keadilan Sejahtera (PKS), Partai Bulan Bintang (PBB), and Partai Persatuan Pembangunan (PPP).

Meanwhile the Indonesian military (TNI) is reported to be preparing troops, consisting of one marine batallion, three infantry companies and one marine company, to be sent to Lebanon, for an as yet uncertain peace-keeping operation. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono apparently ordered TNI commander Marshal Djoko Suyanto to prepare the troops for the possibility that Indonesia would be called upon for duties in the area.

Agung Laksono, the House speaker, today condemned Israel. He said that the parliament urged the Indonesian government to take a proactive stance and to intensify its diplomacy to prevent an open war in the Middle East region.

Also in Jakarta a gathering was held, with the title “Indonesian Muslims are United to Oppose Zionist Israel and Its Allies”, by various radical Islamic groups among whom can be counted the Indonesian Mujahidin Council (MMI) whose leader, Fauzan Al Anshori said that the event was intended to unite all Indonesian Muslims in their support of Palestinian Muslims by sending funds, food, medicine and even weapons and mujahidin, to fight against Israeli armies. The government was requested to assist in the departure of Indonesian mujahidin for the Middle East to help the Palestinians in their struggle against Israel.

On this topic however the Foreign Affairs Ministry said today that it had no knowledge of any Indonesian national having left for Palestine or Lebanon as volunteer. A ministry spokesman, Desra Percaya, said he understood why Indonesians might want to go to Palestine and Lebanon to fight but that it would be better for them to help in purely humanitarian ways.

Update 27th July

Hundreds of Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) cadres from Kediri in East Java are ready to leave for Lebanon to help Hizbullah troops in their struggle against Israel, says Antara. Local party spokesman M. Tsalis said that the volunteers would be sent to help distribute financial and logistical assistance to the Lebanese people. The men were ready to leave for Lebabon at any time while waiting for the go-ahead from the party’s central executive board.

Islamic intellectual Azyumardi Azra says any sending of jihadist forces to Lebanon from Indonesia would only disturb the people there. Speaking at the Al Azhar Indonesia on Tuesday 25th July he said the idea of sending fighters to Lebanon should just be forgotten as it would not help the situation.

If you want to struggle/jihad it’s better you do it by collecting food, blood, and aid to send there. That would be more useful than gathering a force to send there. It wouldn’t help, it would just trouble the people there.
(Kalau mau berjihad, lebih baik berjihad dalam bentuk mengumpulkan bahan makanan, darah dan dana untuk dikirim ke sana. Itu lebih bermanfaat daripada mengerahkan orang-orang ke sana. Bukan membantu, tapi malah akan menyusahkan warga di sana.)

Azyumardi Azra however said the intention of the government to send troops for a peace-keeping mission was a good one. He added that the United Nations was not able to organise such a force at present and so it should be done via the agency of the Organisasi Konferensi Islam (OKI), the Islamic Conference, or the Gerakan Non Blok (GNB), the non-aligned movement.

On this matter Defence Minister Juwono Sudarsono said one battalion of the Indonesian armed forces, the TNI, was ready to be sent to southern Lebanon. But it would only go if Indonesia were asked by the United Nations to assist.

A force has been prepared consisting of three companies from the Strategic Reserve and one company from the Marines, totalling 594 men.
(Pasukan yang disiapkan 1 batalyon, terdiri dari 3 kompi pasukan dari Kostrad dan 1 kompi pasukan Marinir. Jumlahnya 594 orang.)

This is despite the fact that no mention has been made of Indonesia in any discussions about sending a peace-keeping force to Lebanon, internationally. Indonesia is nevertheless eager to participate even though, what’s more, it has no diplomatic relations with one party to the dispute, Israel.

The Ulema Council, the Majelis Ulama Indonesia (MUI), has been vocal in its urging of the Indonesian government to take some sort of action. Chalid Mawardi of the MUI condemned the “brutal” attacks by Israel, its bombing of civilians in Lebanon and Palestine and its destruction of public infrastructure in Lebanon. He implored the government to take any diplomatic measures necessary to help prevent any Israeli attack on Syria and Iran.

Din Syamsudin, the chairman of the MUI and also the leader of Muhammadiyah advised the use of “high diplomacy” to prod the Muslim nations of the world to unite against Israel.

If the conflict were not resolved, Din said, a rise in Islamic radicalism could be expected from those with little patience. One form of Islamic radicalism common in Indonesia, and especially in the city of Makasssar in South Sulawesi, is “sweeping“. Yesterday about fifty university students grouped in the Makasssar Muslim Student Association (HMI) mounted a sweeping operation against American and Israeli nationals in a number of hotels in protest against the Israeli attacks on Palestine and Lebanon, says Antara.

The students from several Islamic universities in Makassar descended upon star-rated hotels such as the Sahid and the Imperial Arya Duta to look for any US and Israeli citizens that might be staying there. Tension occurred when police personnel tried to stop the students from entering the Sahid Jaya Hotel, which is owned by the family of vice president Jusuf Kalla. Students and police officers scuffled for five minutes until some student representatives were finally received by a hotel manager, one Hasrianto. Hasrianto appeased the protesters by promising that the hotel would not accept guests from the US and Israel in a gesture of solidarity for the Palestinian and Lebanese people.

Meanwhile it appears that one Indonesian citizen has been killed in Lebanon. Siti Maemunah, a housemaid for a Kuwaiti family holidaying in Lebanon and who hails from Sukabumi in West Java, was killed in an Israeli missile strike.