Asia Security
Monitor
No. 62, January 14, 2004 Struggle for the soul of Islam in Southeast Asia;
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December 11: Once recognized for moderate schools of Islam, Indonesia and Malaysia today find themselves in a struggle between religious believers who welcome democracy and fundamentalists who strive for a legal system governed by a radical interpretation of the Sharia, or Islamic law, reports the Far Eastern Economic Review. The new extremists are not just the poor or the marginalized, but increasingly people from the mainstream, often middle class and with Western education. Critics indicate that rising prices and rampant corruption, coupled with new political opportunities, have permitted supporters of conservative Islam to spread its tenets. The report observes that new fundamentalists - often educated overseas between the 1970s and today - frustrated with the political system at home, mingled with students from Arab countries. This led to the notion that radical Islam is the solution to their problems. Proposed amendments to the criminal code in Indonesia introduce strict interpretations of Islamic law, and a draft religious law includes articles that would ban mixed religious marriages and adoptions. A new education law passed earlier this year mandates religious instruction in all schools. The hard-line Muslim-affairs magazine Sabili now has a circulation of more than 145,000, which is higher than any other news magazine in Indonesia. More than 67 percent of Muslims polled in a survey last year said they supported Sharia as a basis of government. January 8: A wave of attacks on schools and a military base in southern Thailand has forced the government to admit that separatist militants are operating inside the country, reports the BBC. Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has declared martial law in the provinces of Narathiwat, Pattani and Yala, which border Malaysia and are predominately Muslim. The Thai government was widely criticized for downplaying the threat of separatist militants in the past. Officials admit security was lax because the area had not been declared dangerous, despite recent intelligence findings that more than 100 potential fighters were moving near the Malaysia-Thai border. Although senior military officials are discussing the need to rebuild intelligence networks, officials also admit that they do not have the trust and support of local people. Muslim community leaders and businessmen warned that heavy-handed government action could drive away tourists and foreign investors and disrupt people’s daily lives. Somboon Bouloung, a lecturer at the University of Songklanakharin, stated “This has led to the local people seeing themselves as scapegoats when officials want quick-fix solutions in order to please the big bosses in the capital.” Reuters reports that Thailand is investigating links between the recent wave of violence and foreign militant groups, such as Jemaah Islamiah (JI). However, Prime Minister Thaksin continues to insist the attackers were “mainly involved with crime, arms smuggling and narcotics” and “commuted” between Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. In the meantime, Thailand has asked Jakarta to monitor Thai Muslim students studying in Indonesia in an attempt to detect signs of militancy following the attacks, to include monitoring bank accounts for money possibly sent by terrorist groups. The Bangkok Post has also reported that Kuala Lumpur is assisting in the tracking those responsible for the attacks. January 9: The radical Thai Muslim groups, Gerakan Mujahideen Islam Pattani (GMIP), or the Pattani Islamic Mujahideen Movement, and Kampulan Mujahideen Malay-sia (KMM) have been cited as the prime suspects of the attacks, reports the Bangkok Nation. Islamic schools in Indonesia have been accused of propagating fundamentalist ideology and having connections with many leading militants in the region. January 13: The Education Ministry wants state intervention in private Islamic schools, which are widespread in the South, reports the Bangkok Post. Interior Minister Wan Muhamad Nor Matha defended the need for checks on Muslim religious schools by security forces, saying there was evidence that agitators were using some school as bases or hideouts. A source at the Fourth Army said there were almost 500 Islamic schools in Yuala, Pattani, Narthiwat and Satun, 300 of which were operating illegally. Around 30 Islamic schools have been blacklisted by the military on evidence that some teachers and students were involved in terrorist movements. After a two-hour police raid of the Iftida Witthaya School - a private Islamic school in Narathiwat’s Rueso district – no incriminating evidence was found. Also, at the Nahatatusaan Islamic School in Rueso, the headmaster said teachers and students were frightened by the raids. He added, the school would welcome government investigators in order to prove its innocence. |
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Copyright
© 2004, American Foreign Policy Council.
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