At least 198 Islamic boarding schools have ties to terrorist networks, according to Indonesia’s National Counterterrorism Agency.
Agency chief Boy Rafli Amar made the claim at a meeting with MPs on Jan. 25, saying the assessment was a result of the agency’s terrorism prevention efforts last year.
“There are 11 Islamic boarding schools with ties to Jamaah Ansharut Khilafah, 68 with Jemaah Islamiyah and 119 with links to [Jamaah] Ansharut Daulah, an Islamic State affiliate,” he said.
Jemaah Islamiyah, which has links to al-Qaeda, has been blamed for a series of terrorist attacks in Indonesia and Southeast Asia over the past few decades, including the 2002 Bali bombings and attacks on Christian churches.
Jamaah Ansharut Khilafah, believed to operate in Central Java province, was established in 2015 by a former leader of Jemaah Islamiyah’s education division.
Stanislaus Riyanta, an intelligence analyst from the state-run University of Indonesia, said the revelation should come as no surprise and indicated terrorist networks were changing tactics.
Make sure these schools stick to the existing curriculum on Islamic religious education and their teachers are thoroughly vetted
“Instead of using terror, they are targeting religious activities to gain influence in society. They can infiltrate Islamic boarding schools easily and spread their radical ideology like a Muslim cleric delivers a sermon,” he told UCA News.
He said terrorist networks are using Islamic boarding schools as tools to meet their goal.
“They want to gain political power. So, the first thing they need to do is recruit more members,” he said.
He said a concerted effort to root out such extremism in these schools is needed by the state.
Thank you. You are now signed up to Daily newsletter
“Make sure these schools stick to the existing curriculum on Islamic religious education and their teachers are thoroughly vetted. Parents also need to be extra careful about which school to send their children,” he said.
Franciscan Father Vinsensius Darmin Mbula, chairman of the National Council of Catholic Education, called the revelation “worrying,” especially for Christians who have often been the targets of extremists.
“Islamic boarding schools must be managed inclusively and build good relations with others. It’s distressing to hear about such links to extremists,” he told UCA News.
He said the government needs to act quickly to turn these schools away from extremism and to prevent others from falling under its spell.
Support UCA News…
….As we enter the first months of 2022, we are asking readers like you to help us keep UCA News free.
For the last 40 years, UCA News has remained the most trusted and independent Catholic news and information service from Asia. Every week, we publish nearly 100 news reports, feature stories, commentaries, podcasts and video broadcasts that are exclusive and in-depth, and developed from a view of the world and the Church through informed Catholic eyes.
Our journalistic standards are as high as any in the quality press; our focus is particularly on a fast-growing part of the world – Asia – where, in some countries the Church is growing faster than pastoral resources can respond to – South Korea, Vietnam and India to name just three.
And UCA News has the advantage of having in its ranks local reporters who cover 23 countries in south, southeast, and east Asia. We report the stories of local people and their experiences in a way that Western news outlets simply don’t have the resources to reach. And we report on the emerging life of new Churches in old lands where being a Catholic can at times be very dangerous.
With dwindling support from funding partners in Europe and the USA, we need to call on the support of those who benefit from our work.
Click here to find out the ways you can support UCA News. You can make a difference for as little as US$5…
Credit: Source link