Indonesia giving in to Radical Islam?
By Olivier Guitta
After today�s bombings most probably orchestrated by the Jemaah Islamiyah, as explained in detail by Zachary and Andy, it�s not a coincidence that Radical Islam is gaining ground in Indonesia. Says Sydney Jones, head of the International Crisis Group in Jakarta, �Indonesia will never become Saudi Arabia but it is trending towards a more conservative Islam. Indonesians do not speak Arabic but thanks to Middle East trained imams, they realize that the Islam they have been practicing is far away from the Koranic precepts.�
So, for instance even if in 2003, the Indonesian Parliament voted against the installation of the Sharia- Islamic law-, it nonetheless passed a law discriminating against non-Muslims schools. Also the �moderate� elite is denying the JI�s existence and accusing the CIA of the 2002 Bali bombing. Lastly, the Ulema Council, the highest Islamic authority, recently issued a fatwa condemning religious diversity.
Incidentally in the past few weeks, members of another Islamist group the Islamic Defenders� front, also known as FPI, have forced the closing of numerous Christian churches.