(Xinhua) -- The Indonesian biggest Muslim organization Nahdlatul Ulema (NU) vowed on Friday to stop the spread of misteaching of Islam, which could trigger radicalism and spark terrorism in the biggest Muslim country, the chairman of the organization Hasyim Muzadi said here.
Terrorim has grown fast in recent years in the country, which was supported by poverty and lack of understanding of the true Islam, through the spread of misteaching of the religion. Among the teaching was hatred to the West and encouragement for retaliation through jihad in the form of attacks or suicide bombings targeting on the Western people or interest in Indonesia. Many young people had been recruited and shifted to become suicide bombers, especially those from remote areas in the country which 87 percent of its more than 220 million population are Muslim.
The more-than 40-millions followers Nahdlatul Ulema had the capacity to oppose the terrorist movement up to the level of grass root, said Muzadi. "The Nahdlatul Ulama has a capacity to halt it (the spread of terrorism). The NU has an obligation to stop it. The (NU followers) at the grass root stage can be used to stop it," he told a press conference after meeting with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the State Palace here.
The chairman of the NU said that tens of millions of members of the organization spreading across the archipelago would be a bastion of the spread of the wrong deliberation of Islam by terrorists. "Should the followers of the Nahdlatul Ulema at the stage of grass root was already sterilized from the extremism, that would be very easy to stop the spread of the misteaching of Islam," he said.
Muzadi said that a proactive moves would be conducted to the community about the true Islam. "We gave sermon to the people about how is the right teaching of Islam," he said. Terorist has misinterpretated a Koranic verse about the legality for revenge through suicide bombings on infidels.
A top leader of the Southeast Asia militant group of Jemaah Islamiyah Noerdin Moh. Top and other terrorist fugitives are still at large in the country. Top has led and recruitment young people for suicide bombings since operating in Indonesia in 2000. He also organizer of the bombings. Many believed that the Jemaah Islamiyah had been behind the bloody attack in the country. Most of the 87 percent of Indonesia's 240 million population is moderate, but the rest is radical which are vulnerable from the spread of terrorism. |