BA'ASYIR SPOUTS OFF ABOUT SHARIA`, JIHAD AND BALI

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 010563

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR EAP/IET AND S/CT
DOJ FOR CTS THORNTON, AAG SWARTZ
FBI FOR ETTIU/SSA ROTH

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/25/2011
TAGS: PTER PREL PGOV KISL KJUS ASEC AS ID
SUBJECT: BA'ASYIR SPOUTS OFF ABOUT SHARIA`, JIHAD AND BALI
BOMBERS

REF: A. A. JAKARTA 8929(BA'ASYIR ENJOYING HIGHER PROFILE
AFTER RELEASE)

B. B. 05 JAKARTA 11875 (UGLY TRENDLINE IN ONGOING
ISLAMIC DEBATE)

C. C. JAKARTA 10037 (AGO THREATENS TO EXECUTE BALI
BOMBERS)

JAKARTA 00010563 001.2 OF 002


Classified By: Political Officer Catherine Sweet, Reason 1.4 (d)


1. (C) SUMMARY. Abu Bakr Ba'asyir, the spiritual head of
Jemaah Islamiyah and its political wing, the Majelis
Mujahiddin Council (MMI),continues to speak publicly on a
variety of topics following his release from prison on June
14, 2006. Most notably, Ba'asyir has pontificated about the
need for Islamic law (sharia) in Indonesia and MMI's
obligation to carry out "humanitarian" jihad in Lebanon and
Palestine, while reiterating his doubts that Indonesians were
responsible for the 2002 Bali bombings (ref A). Ba'asyir's
remarks are largely a rehash of his previous statements, and
his support for jihad in Lebanon and Palestine smacks of
opportunism. However, Ba'asyir seems to have become
something of a headliner for hard-line Islamist political
parties and groups. END SUMMARY.


2. (U) Abu Bakr Ba'asyir continues his public tour de force
following his June 14 release from prison (ref A). In a
series of lectures, interviews and sermons in Jakarta and
East Java, Ba'asyir has spoken out provocatively on a range
of issues, culminating in an exposition delivered on August
20 at Jakarta's National Mosque (Mesjid Istiqlal),which is
administered by the Indonesian Ulama Council (MUI). (Note:
As described in ref B, MUI issued a number of controversial
religious decrees, or fatwas, in 2005 that, among other
things, deemed "religious pluralism, liberalism and
secularism" prohibited under Islamic law. End Note.)
According to local press reports, Ba'asyir preached for ten
minutes about the duty of "true leaders" to implement Islamic
law, or sharia, in Indonesia. Ba'asyir implicitly rejected
the democratic electoral process, contending that since
Islamic law is God's law, "voting is not obligatory, getting
agreement from others is not obligatory. Thus it is not
necessary to pay attention to others' opinions." He "warned"
Indonesia's leaders that they are responsible for governing
"100 percent" in accordance with sharia and said that there
is no room for "bargaining."


3. (U) Ba'asyir was participating in a public "zikir," or
Islamic recitation ceremony, to mark Indonesian Independence
Day and honor the victims of recent natural disasters
throughout Indonesia. This event, advertised in the local
media as a public prayer session, featured speeches by Dr.
Mohamed Ahmed Sherif, Secretary General of the Libya-based
World Islamic Call Society, and Syrian Shaykh Muhammad Abdul
Huda Al-Yaqoubi Al-Hassani, in front of thousands of
worshippers. In attendance was another notorious Indonesian
radical Islamist, Jaafar Umar Thalib, former head of Laskar
Jihad (a violent extremist organization, ostensibly disbanded
in 2003). The zikir marked Ba'asyir's first lecture at the
Istiqlal Mosque since his release from prison.

Defend the Lebanese and Palestinians...
--------------


4. (C) The August 20 Istiqlal Mosque event was the most
well-attended in a series of recent Ba'asyir orations. On
August 18, Ba'asyir spoke to several hundred attendees at a
Jakarta function sponsored by the Islamist Star and Crescent
Party, or PBB. (Note: As reported in ref A, Ba'asyir was
also a PBB guest speaker shortly after he got out of jail.
PBB is headed by State Secretary Yusril Mahendra. End Note.)
Two days later, Ba'asyir delivered a sermon at Jakarta's
Al-Hilal mosque and then spoke to reporters about MMI's plans
to deploy paramilitary fighters to the Middle East, when/if
the necessary permission is granted by the Government of
Indonesia. The newspaper Indo Pos quoted Ba'asyir justifying
the necessity of deploying "humanitarian" forces to assist
Muslims in Lebanon and Palestine, saying that "to die while
defending your dignity is an honor." (Comment: The GOI has
made clear that it is illegal for paramilitary groups to

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travel for jihad. Ba'asyir surely knows that the permission
will never come, strongly suggesting that he is just
posturing. End Comment.)


5. (U) About three weeks earlier, Ba'asyir -- who was in
Jakarta to participate in a program entitled "Muslim
Solidarity Concerning Israeli Attacks in Palestine and
Lebanon," identified Lebanon and Palestine as two legitimate
places in which Muslims may carry out violent jihad.
Speaking to reporters, Ba'asyir argued on August 2 that
because "these countries are being destroyed by Israel,
Muslims wishing to fight for their religion should go there
instead of waging their war in Indonesia." He added that if
they were unable to carry out jihad, his followers should
support their coreligionists with money and/or prayer.

... But Leave the Americans Alone
--------------


6. (C) At the same time, Ba'asyir again enjoined Muslims to
halt violent attacks on American interests. "There should be
no more violence. There should (also) be no more bombing.
If the aim is to fight the United States, I say that the
fight must be non-violent," said Ba'asyir, according to the
Antara news agency. Ba'asyir continued, saying that "the
acts of violence in the past happened because of a
misinterpretation of the concept of holy war." (Comment: We
have no basis to believe that Ba'asyir has embraced
non-violence. End Comment.)

Bali Bombings: The Hidden Hand of the CIA
--------------


7. (U) Finally, Ba'asyir has once again spun his wild tale
alleging outside (read: CIA) responsibility for the 2002
Bali bombings (ref C). His August 21 remarks were most
likely triggered by the impending execution of the three men
convicted of the attacks. The bombers received a temporary
stay of execution that same day, after their attorneys filed
a request for judicial review. At a mosque in Malang, East
Java, Ba'asyir requested that the GOI conduct a new
investigation to probe claims made by an unnamed "bomb
expert" alleging that the Bali bombs were "micro-nuclear" and
therefore demonstrably beyond the Bali bombers' assembling
capabilities. Ba'asyir also reacted to the travel warning
issued last week by the Government of Australia, which
advises travelers that terrorist attacks in Indonesia might
be imminent. The specificity of the warning, alleged
Ba'asyir, suggests that the Australians themselves are
planning these terrorist attacks.


8. (C) Comment: Ba'asyir's remarks are largely a rehash of
previous statements of his, although his support of jihad in
Lebanon and Palestine is new. Perhaps the most significant
but not surprising aspect of his current activity is that it
has taken on a remarkably pedestrian quality -- Ba'asyir
appears to be not only less radioactive than one might hope,
but actually something of a draw card for hard-line Islamist
political parties and groups. Ba'asyir also is demonstrating
once again that he is an opportunist, setting himself up as a
defender of the greater Arabo-Islamic cause to capitalize on
public anger over the crisis in Lebanon and Gaza. End
Comment.
PASCOE