No doubt many of you will come across an article somewhere reporting on how Gareth Evans (former Australian Foreign Minister, current head of International Crisis Group, an NGO) has just given a talk during which he said that Jemmah Islamiah (Bali, Marriot, embassy bombers) no longer poses a threat to Australian interests.
What he actually said is that the threat of terrorism is "real but moderate", and that Australian interests are less likely to be targetted than US/UK interests. If you just read the headlines, you'd get the impression that JI somehow evaporated. Nevertheless, there's no doubt he is trying to downplay the threat.
Many JI members have been arrested or killed. Their two main bomb makers are still at large in Indonesia. The vast majority of Indonesians, naturally, think JI are knob-ends and would kick their ass if they met them.
But... I find Mr Evan's comments a bit weird, since ICG's report on JI by Sydney Jones, which is probably the most comprehensive public document on the group, seemed to conclude that wherever there are vast pockets of poverty amid wealth, poor education, and someone to exploit the poor and uneducated, then terrorism will always be a threat. And Australia certainly hasn't been doing anything to show it's not anti-Islamic.
In Australia, we've just seen new anti-terrorism laws proposed that verge on fascism. Children 16 years old may been detained without charge, private citizens can be spied on... no doubt all Australians have read the list of things that deprive us of our civil rights.
And here's what helped push these laws along:
ASIO had identified about 70 "Muslim extremists" in Australia whom they categorised as a "potential terrorist threat" and monitored. Then after London was bombed, they changed their method of categorising who qualifies as a "Muslim extremist" to make it easier for people to qualify. So suddenly, even though they are looking at all the same people as they were six months ago, because of the change in method, they now had around 800 people on their "potential terrorist" list.
800 potential terrorists? The Prime Minister was SHOCKED! And we're supposed to be shocked, too. Shocked enough to let these laws pass.
By way of analogy, it's as though the government decided to class everyone earning under $100,000 as living in poverty, and were then SHOCKED to discover how many Australians live in poverty.
Anyway... I have a feeling these two stories are related, and that Gareth Evans is making an effort to undermine the Australian Government's efforts to push through these draconian laws, even though what he says is at odds with a great report produced by his own organisation.
So good on him for trying. It's a better idea than shagging Cheryl Kernot, that's for sure. He's come a long way.
In the meantime, even though the threats from terrorism on your personal safety are greatly exaggerated, it does remain a real threat in todays world, including Indonesia. The war against terrorism will be won through eliminating poverty, injustice, and inequities, not with guns and bombs.
As international travellers who visit a predominantly Muslim* country (even though Bali is mainly Hindu), we are the front line of the war against terror. Smile, make friends and spend your money where it will feed the most poor people. And be careful when you read headlines.
* Though in terms of overall population, Indonesia is predominantly Muslim (about 89%), in terms of geographical area about 50% of Indonesia is inhabited by people with majorities who follow other religions.