KNews.id- The attorneys for the Islamic Defenders Front deny allegations that the organization supports terrorism. One of the reasons used by the government to ban this mass organization. The government says that there have been dozens of FPI members and ex-members who have been involved in criminal acts of terrorism.
However, Sugito Atmo Prawiro, Head of the FPI Legal Aid Team, said these people were personally responsible, and their acts of terrorism were “not in accordance with the FPI’s vision and mission”. Sidney Jones, an observer of terrorism at the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict, also thinks that the allegations of terrorism addressed to FPI are inaccurate.
However, the deputy at the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal and Human Rights Sugeng Purnomo emphasized that the involvement of FPI members or ex-members in criminal acts of terrorism is only one of many considerations by the government to ban these Islamic mass organizations.
FPI Disclaimer
In the announcement of the FPI ban, Tuesday (30/12), at the law and security office, Deputy Minister of Law and Human Rights Edward Omar Sharif Hiariej said that 35 FPI officials and members and former members have been involved in criminal acts of terrorism.
“That the management and / or members of FPI or those who have joined FPI based on data as many as 35 people involved in criminal acts of terrorism and 29 of them have been convicted,” he said.
Menkopolhukam Mahfud MD also presented a number of videos deemed to show the support of these Islamic organizations for the caliphate and terrorism movement, including a speech by FPI Grand Imam Habib Rizieq Shihab in a demonstration supporting “what is good about ISIS” and FPI members witnessing the “mass pledge of ISIS. ”In Makassar on January 25, 2015.
Earlier this month, the daily chairman of the National Police Commission and head of the UI Center for Police Science and Terrorism Studies Benny Mamoto revealed the names of 37 members and former members of the FPI who are suspected of being directly involved in terrorist groups in Indonesia.
FPI attorney Sugito Atmo Prawiro, who said he had not checked government data, but had read the names revealed by Benny, argued that these people “may be beyond the control of friends in the DPP (FPI Central Executive Board)”.
He emphasized that FPI, as an organization, does not support terrorism and radicalism. If those suspected of engaging in terrorism are found guilty, that is their personal responsibility.
“For the JAT (Jamaah Anshorut Tauhid), for example, as an organization structurally it wants to do such things (terrorism) it’s up to them, but the DPP FPI explicitly does not allow that. Terrorism, radicalism is not allowed. Everything must be in accordance with the legal corridors, ”Sugito told BBC News Indonesia.
Regarding the evidence of Rizieq Shihab’s video that was shown by the police, security and security minister, Sugito reasoned that when the video was recorded, it had not been clearly and factually revealed that what ISIS was doing deviated from what Muslims should fight for.
“After that, there were many videos of Habib Rizieq criticizing ISIS, they were not exposed,” said Sugito.
According to him, the FPI ban was based on political motives. He said this was considering that FPI was an opposition group that was consistent outside the party and outside the parliament and had direct contact with the public. He argued that this was also done to divert the issue from the shooting of six members of the FPI laskar by the police on the Jakarta-Cikampek toll road, last December 7.
Terrorism Allegations ‘Incorrect’
Sidney Jones considers the terrorism allegation “inappropriate” to be addressed to FPI. Sidney, who said he had seen the names on the government list, confirmed that so many of them had been members of the FPI.
However, he said, there were also members of the Jemaah Tablig, Pemuda Muhammadiyah, or the Prosperous Justice Party. According to Sidney, people who already intend to become militant often experiment with several organizations. Before finally joining the most militant.
“So most of those accused [of being members of] FPI or [true members of] FPI of being terrorists, are people who were expelled from FPI precisely because they were considered too radical,” he told BBC News Indonesia.
Sidney said, for example in Lamongan, East Java, several people who were members of FPI joined terrorist groups, including Zainal Ansori who became the emir (leader) of the Jemaah Ansorut Daulah. However, after they joined ISIS, they were no longer accepted as FPI members.
In addition, Sidney explained that the ideology of FPI and radical groups like ISIS is actually different. According to him, FPI members are generally traditionalists like those in Nahdlatul Ulama (NU).
“They, for example, celebrate the Prophet’s birthday. If we ask ISIS people, who support Daulah Islamiyah in Syria, they are all anti-Muslim, they say that is heresy. “So theologically, it is not appropriate to accuse them of terrorists,” said Sidney. (AHM)
