ISIS expansion into The Philippines belies another threat to our long-term security.



For several years, foreign minister Julie Bishop has warned Australians that ISIS would seek to use returning Islamic fighters from South-East Asia to establish a foothold in our immediate region. Recent events in the Southern Philippines city of Marawi have proved Ms Bishop right. But another subtle threat also exists even closer to home; in Indonesia.  The threat comes from Saudi Arabia as it uses its enormous wealth and influence to win-over the minds and hearts of Indonesia’s majority Muslim population - the world’s largest with over 250 million people.

In recent years Saudi Arabia has embarked on a massive campaign to build new schools and Mosques through Indonesia including the establishment of The Institute for the Study of Islam and Arabic (LIPIA) where students learn an extremely conservative form of Islam based on ‘Wahhabism’, that promotes a virulent form of extremism. Visit Java or the island of Lombok – just a short ferry-ride from Bali - and witness the number of Mosques now being built with Saudi money.

In Jakarta on any Friday, it is interesting to observe the number of young Muslim men who have now discarded their own national dress – the sarong – in favour of the ‘Gamis’- the common dress for Arabic men used in desert-based nations such as Saudi Arabia. So much for Indonesian nationalism.

Indonesia has also recently seen a strong rise in hard-line groups such as the Islamic Defenders Front ((FPI) and the now banned Hisb ut-Tahrir (HIT) leading to what one expert called “..a troubling erosion of tolerance towards minority groups in Indonesia”.

Last year the Saudi Arabia’s King Salman was given a rock-star welcome when he touched-down in Jakarta along with seven ministers, 19 princes, 1300 business executives and 495 tonnes of baggage, and a very fat cheque book.  


In welcoming the King to Jakarta, President Jokowi said, “We are united by Islam and brotherhood,” choosing to ignore the horrifying statistics of the sexual abuse and deaths of Indonesian maids in Saudi over recent years.

Yet in reality, Islam and politics in both Indonesia and Saudi Arabia could not be more different. Indonesia embraces a mostly secular state principle – a principle that is endorsed by the nation’s major religious organisations - and pluralism is one of the nation’s foundations through the acceptance of all religions. Indonesia also has a robust democracy that was born after the dictatorship of President Suharto collapsed in 1998.

Saudi Arabia on the other hand operates as a harsh and absolute monarchy that embraces this very conservative interpretation of the Koran resulting in stoning and hand amputations for a range of offences including homosexuality, adultery or young people simply holding hands.

This is the form of Islam that Pauline Hanson attacks and incorrectly attributes to Indonesia, and herein lays the dilemma for Australia. As anti-Muslim sentiment grows around the world, including in Australia, Indonesia unfortunately gets caught-up in this debate, whereas Australia needs more than ever to be working closely with our neighbour to ensure that terrorist groups such as ISIS fail to establish a foothold in the region, and also that Indonesia remains a pluralistic society and progresses towards becoming a long-term economically stable and ‘civil society’. Both Turnbull and Bishop understand this, but it is not a notion that is generally understood or embraced by mainstream Australians.

Indonesia has so far been fortunate that at a national level there has been strong opposition to extremist groups with the most popular Muslim organisations’  such as Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) who have played a major role in ensuring Indonesia remains a secular nation that supports a moderate form of Islam. 

It is in the provinces however, that local governments have become more active in introducing a stricter form of Islam including alcohol restrictions, the banning of gay relationships and restrictive female dress standards. In the province of Aceh, where Australia injected over $1 billion in tsunami aid funding, Sharia Law has been implemented.

Last year the jailing of the ethnic Chinese Governor of Jakarta, known as ‘Ahok’ for blasphemy against The Koran sent shock waves through the presidential palace and Indonesia’s powerful Chinese community. Outwardly, leading ethnic Chinese business leaders are calm as to the direction in which their nation is headed. Privately though, many are worried; and so should we here in Australia.

Meanwhile, this evolving interest in Indonesia by the giant of the Muslim world lead King Salman to assure the Indonesian president that Saudi Arabia wanted to be an ‘unconditional benefactor’ to Indonesia and his nation was not interested in expanding its hard-line form of Islam throughout the archipelago - and onto Australia’s doorstep.

It remains to be seen, but as Australia becomes even more reliant on a close and open relationship with its giant northern neighbour, let’s just hope that the King stays true to his word.

Ross Taylor AM is the president of the WA-based Indonesia Institute Inc.
@indorosstaylor

September 2017.

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