http://www.smh.com.au/world/jakarta-alarm-at-extremist-group-20110429-1e0rh.html
Jakarta alarm at extremist group Tom Allard April 30, 2011 The huge al-Zaytun school has been linked to extremist activity. Indonesian authorities have launched an investigation into a shadowy, long-outlawed Islamist group with a predilection for financial scams amid claims it may have hundreds of thousands of followers. Renewed concerns about Negara Islam Indonesia, or Indonesian Islamic State, follow the disruption of a terrorist plot to explode a 150-kilogram bomb near a Jakarta church during a Good Friday service. Pepi Fernando, the alleged mastermind of the plot, is a former NII member and up to six of the suspected members of his cell were from a state-run Islamic university where NII is thought to have engaged in recruitment. Advertisement: Story continues below In the wake of the foiled bombing, there have been reports on the front pages of Indonesia's newspapers about NII followers infiltrating the highest levels of bureaucracy, universities and villages with their ''brainwashing''. The chief of Indonesia's constitutional court, Mohammad Mahfud, said: ''I am aghast over how this massive movement went undetected. They have recruited tens of thousands of followers . This is very dangerous.'' Security Affairs Minister Djoko Suyanto this week described NII as a threat to Indonesian sovereignty, while President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono called for a national effort to stop rising radicalisation, though he did not mention NII by name. ''We are witnessing a radical movement in this country,'' Dr Yudhoyono said. ''We should not be apathetic and passive. We should share the responsibility of saving our nation and protecting the people.'' Former NII adherents said the group grew like a pyramid marketing scheme, with new members rewarded with promotion for recruiting others. ''When you join, you make a declaration pledging to quit the Republic of Indonesia and become a member of the Islamic State of Indonesia,'' said one former member, who asked not to be identified. He said NII had more than $100 million in assets, mostly land holdings. NII has been outlawed since the 1950s. It has its roots in the Darul Islam movement that led a militia campaign for Indonesia to become an Islamic state after achieving independence. Terrorism analyst Sidney Jones, from the International Crisis Group, said NII was ''basically a crooked business. It does preach for an Islamic state but it's mostly about raising money. It has strong links to very powerful people.'' Authorities believe the huge al-Zaytun boarding school, operated by cleric Abdussalam Panji Gumilang, also known as Abu Toto, is a major centre of NII activity. Dr Jones said the alleged leader of the church bombing plot, Pepi, had connections to Abu Toto, though it was impossible to say whether their ties were sinister. Prominent Indonesian figures such as former intelligence chief Hendropriyono and former president Megawati Sukarnoputri have visited the al-Zaytun complex in Indramayu, West Java. While NII may not openly advocate violence, its members at least appear to have been targeted to move into new groups that do embrace terrorism. Dr Jones said some of those who switch to more violent groups were unhappy with the dodgy fund-raising allegedly embraced by NII's leadership. ''It's difficult to say the NII has committed criminal acts under anti-terrorism laws,'' said Dr Jones. ''But it should definitely be investigated.'' Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/world/jakarta-alarm-at-extremist-group-20110429-1e0rh.html#ixzz1KzhXHw9w [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Post message: prole...@egroups.com Subscribe : proletar-subscr...@egroups.com Unsubscribe : proletar-unsubscr...@egroups.com List owner : proletar-ow...@egroups.com Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: proletar-dig...@yahoogroups.com proletar-fullfeatu...@yahoogroups.com <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: proletar-unsubscr...@yahoogroups.com <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
