The accusation that Sofyan Tsauri was an intelligence agent not for the first time. "All Islamic movements must be infiltrated by intelligence," said the Chairman of the Indonesian Mujahidin Council (MMI) Irfan Awwas to Time, Wednesday (6/10). "If there is an Islamic movement that has not been infiltrated by intelligence, it should be suspected."
According to him, some intelligence came to monitor their activities and some had infiltrated. Intel is an intruder, he said, "It's hard to identify, but it can be felt."
"Intel cannot be avoided because they are paid the state to do that," said Irfan. However, he regretted that the intelligence had always placed the Islamic movement as the enemy of the state. "So they work by provoking and destroying the image of Islam," said the sister of the famous dai Abu Jibril.
The Ustad, who was jailed for 13 years in 1986 for alleged treason, said that Tsauri's way of working was similar to intelligence during the New Order era: starting with a movement that was seen as endangering the state, then creating a similar movement that was more radical. "The old movement felt helped because they came fully armed and were more militant in nature," said Irfan.
The existence of radicalization made the apparatus able to pick up other people who were not related to the movement. For example, he continued, the arrest of the leader of the Jemaah Anshorut Tauhid and the Al-Mukmin Ngruki Islamic Boarding School, Abu Bakar Ba'asyir.
"I saw the terrorist training in Aceh (led by Tsauri), part of the radicalization," he said. His claim is supported by the fact that images of combatants' training in Jantho, Aceh have spread, which is contrary to the characteristics of the underground movement. "Never mind videos, writing documentation alone is banned," he said.
Several other facts substantiate that claim. In the interview, Tsauri, who claims to have ties to Al-Qaeda and the Abu Sayyaf, mentions Usama bin Laden several times. "It is strange, if there are combatants who call Usamah the title 'Syekh'," said Noor Huda Ismail, Executive Director of the Pelangi Perdamaian Foundation, an institution that focuses on returning former convicted terrorists in society.
This is because all the former terrorists he has ever met always mention "Sheikh Usamah". "Syekh is an honorary title, equivalent to 'mbah' in Javanese," said the alumnus of the Ngruki Islamic Boarding School.
Another oddity is the appearance of Tsauri's second wife, Inong. This Acehnese woman wore a yellow hijab suit, complete with a series of gold bracelets and rings, while attending her husband's trial at the Depok District Court.
According to Noor Huda, almost all combatant wives wear a veil every time they leave the house. "Moreover, they think showing gold is not good," he said.
Tsauri himself insisted he was not an intel. (Interactive Tempo)
