———————————————————————– Missions Insider Report by Christian Aid October 16, 2002 Vol. 3 No. 41 Visit our website at http://www.christianaid.org ———————————————————————– John Lindner, Editor ———————————————————————– An earlier version of the Laskar Jihad story was sent out by mistake in today’s Missions Insider. Here is the updated version. — Editor.

Indonesia: Laskar Jihad Disbands The Islamic militant force, Laskar Jihad (Soldiers of the Holy War), disbanded on October 12 on orders from Saudi Arabia, according to Bloomberg News. The disbanding came just hours before the terrorist attack on Bali that killed over 200, although a spokesperson for the group said the timing was coincidental. The Laskar Jihad is thought to be responsible for widespread violence against Christians in East Indonesia where at least 8,000 people have been killed during the last three years and over 700,000 rendered homeless. Its leader, Jafar Umar Thalib, 40, is charged with inciting religious violence in Maluku Province that left 14 Christians dead last April. He opposed the state-sponsored Malino Agreement in February that sought to end the fighting between Muslims and Christians in Maluku, formerly known as the Spice Islands. He also is in trouble over his remarks that President Megawati Sukarnoputri is incapable of running the country since she is a woman. Since Tuesday October 15, Laskar Jihad troops have been seen leaving major cities in Ambon, Maluku and Central Sulawesi and returning to their homeland of Java. The Laskar Jihad office in Yogyakarta is closed and their official website is now offline. Its parent organization, Communication Forum for Ahlussunnah Waljamaah, also is closed. Thalib says that the group disbanded because its mission of ‘jihad’ has been completed. He was also concerned that some Laskar Jihad members were getting involved in political activities, which were beyond the original purpose for the group. However, one Christian observer on the Indonesian scene who asked not to be identified said, “I am very cautious about the news of their disbanding. I have seen the results of their brutality and have heard the first-hand reports of the attacks upon innocent and unarmed Christians. I do not have one ounce of trust in anything they say.” He also said, “I reserve my elation until I see refugees able to go back to their villages and rebuild their homes and churches and are allowed to worship freely, when Jihad bases in Irian Jaya and Central Sulawesi are empty and all weapons from jihad bases, jihad soldiers and local Muslims are confiscated, when the Indonesian military actually protects unarmed Christians who try to resettle, and when a single church is allowed to be built again in the North Maluku capital of Ternate.” He reminds us, “Christians have been warned that they will be killed if the set foot in Ternate [on Halmahera Island in Maluku]–and with Islamic Law enforced there it would be impossible to have a Bible in public let alone a church with freedom to worship. “I will believe it when the land taken from Christians is given back to them and compensation for the loss of property and possessions is granted. I will believe it when I see the Laskar Jihad terrorists taken to court for the murders and human rights violations of the people in the regions over the last four years of attacks. I will believe it when I see the Indonesian military, who joined the Laskar Jihad massacre of the village of Lata Lata and Duma, brought to justice. When the sound of bombs stops all over these regions.” While East Indonesian Christians are thankful for the withdrawal of Jihad troops from Maluku and Central Sulawesi, Christian leaders have expressed concern that many jihad forces still remain in Ternate, North Maluku and another 1000 in West Papua (Irian Jaya), where many feared the Laskar Jihad was positioning itself for an Ambon-style attack against the local indigenous (mainly Christian) population. It is also a concern that Laskar Jihad members returning to Java could now join other like-minded, but more secretive hard-line Islamic militias. Indeed, it is a situation that warrants continued watching and prayer.

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