A friend of Israel in the Islamic world

[JohnLocke]

A friend of Israel in the Islamic world
Former president of Indonesia, Abdurrahman Wahid, tells Haaretz that Islamic fundamentalism is not spreading, while he hopes that PA Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia can stay around long enough to make changes.
By Micha Odenheimer -- Haaretz
Wednesday, June 7, 2004
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Jakarta --- Abdurrahman Wahid, who served as Indonesia's president from 1999 until 2001, is one of country's most prominent and influential politicians, intellectuals and spiritual leaders. Blinded by a stroke in early 1998, Wahid was impeached for incompetence and alleged corruption, and barred from running in last Monday's presidential elections due to his blindness and poor health. Wahid claims that both his impeachment and exclusion from the presidential race this year stem from the fear of the corrupt and entrenched elite toward his commitment to democracy and the rule of law.
Wahid was born in 1940 into an aristocratic Muslim family in East Java. Both his grandfathers were among the founders of the Nahdlatul Ulama ("the awakening of the religious scholars"), the world's largest Islamic organization with 40 million members. His father was the first Indonesian religious minister after independence was declared in 1945. Wahid, educated in Cairo and Iraq as well as in Java, came to prominence as the chairman of the NU during the 1980s, and became renowned for his sharp intellect, deep knowledge of Islamic law and history, and unpredictable and usually liberal positions on theological and political matters.
During the 1990s, Wahid began to make his mark on politics, and was part of a triumvirate of opposition figures who symbolized the popular challenge to General Suharto's authority. The other two - Megawati Sukarnoputri, the current president and daughter of Indonesia's first president, Sukarno, and Amien Rais, an academic and chairman of Muhamadiya, Indonesia's urban based "modernist" Islamic organization - are candidates in the current election. Wahid has also had a long and torturous relationship with General Wiranto, commander of the armed forces under Suharto, who is also a candidate this year. Another former general, Susillio Bamban Yuhadyona, won the first round of this year's voting but will have to face either Megawati or Wiranto in September's second round of voting.
Wahid is known for his outspoken and courageous advocacy of Islamic moderation, his adamant stance on separation of Islam and state, and his work to protect Indonesian minorities such as Christians and Chinese. As president, he instituted important reforms, such as separation of the police from military command, but committed political errors as well and sometimes appeared erratic in his ideas and performance. Although disqualified from running, Wahid's continuing influence and popularity and the importance of Nahdlatul Ulama are reflected by the fact that Wahid's brother, Sollahidun, was chosen to be Wiranto's running mate, and Hasyim Mazari, current executive chairman of NU, was chosen as Megawati's running mate. A recent issue of Tempo, one of Indonesia's premier news magazines, called Wahid, featured on its cover, "The Drunken Master of Indonesian Politics
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What can Israel and the Jews do to create peace between Islam and Judaism?
"All sides have to do justice. Sometimes the Arabic governments act without justice, and sometimes the Israeli government acts unjustly. You have to examine yourself, and so do the Arabs, to see where you are wrong. What is more important is that you need leaders that trust the other side. With your leader against Arafat and Arafat against Israel, there is no hope. Negotiations can be held only by people that trust each other."
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"Keep up your work, and be true to yourself. That is enough."
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