Abu Bakar Bashir was involved in organizing the 2002 Bali attacks. In 2014, he had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State. After participating in the government’s de-radicalization program, he now recognizes the founding doctrine of the nation, one of whose cornerstones is harmony between the religious confessions present in the country.
Jakarta () – Abu Bakar Bashir, one of the most intransigent Muslim leaders in Indonesia, has recognized the Pancasila. It is about the philosophy of the five fundamental pillars of the nation and that has among its cornerstones the unity of the country and the harmony between the different religious confessions that live in it. In a short video message posted on August 17, Bashir says he “agrees” with the Pancasila because the first point of the doctrine (faith in one God) “is based on tawheed,” the Islamic principle it posits. the unity and oneness of God. Another surprise came yesterday, when Bashir celebrated Indonesia’s Independence Day by proposing a flag-raising ceremony at the Ngruki Islamic College.
To understand the relevance of such events, it is necessary to review the personal history of this religious Muslim, who during Suharto’s presidency spent 17 years in exile in Malaysia, precisely because of his radical ideas.
According to local and international intelligence agencies, Bashir can be considered the spiritual leader of the jemaah islamiyah, the al Qaeda-linked terrorist organization that became known for the 2002 Bali bombings that killed more than 200 people. In 2005, Bashir was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for his role in the attacks. Later, in 2011, he was imprisoned again and sentenced to 15 years for setting up a jihadist training camp. In August 2014, he swore allegiance to former Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. In 2019, current President Joko Widodo considered releasing Bashir early in an attempt to win the votes of radical Muslims in the elections. However, at the time Bashir refused to recognize Pancasila, one of the conditions necessary for their release.
However, the Muslim leader received a reduction in his sentence and was released last year. It was immediately incorporated into the Indonesian government’s deradicalization programs, which seem to have worked: “This reflects the fact that those detained for terrorism have really abandoned their religious extremism,” said the head of the National Agency for the Eradication of Terrorism, the General Boy Rafli Amar, who yesterday attended the flag-raising ceremony and the oath of allegiance to the Unitary Republic of Indonesia.
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