ISLAMIC BOARDING SCHOOLS USED BY TERRORISTS AS SHIELD :MINISTER

Magelang, C Java, March 14 (ANTARA) - Religious affairs minister Suryadharma Ali has said that the Islamic boarding schools (Pesantren) and Islamic primary schools or Madrasah can become shields to prevent terrorism in the country.

"We conduct a variety of ways, including approaches to the Pesantren and Madrasah, in order to become a fortress for preventing terrorism in the educational institutions," the minister said on the occasion of the Maulid or Prophet Muhammad's birthday anniversary in the Pesantren of Darussalam Watucongol, at Gunung Pring village, Muntilan sub-district, Magelang district, Central Java, Sunday.

Such preventive effort conducted by the religious affairs ministry has turned out positive results, Suryadharma said, adding that his staffers had explained the correct Islamic teachings
to the public through the Madrasahs and the Pesantrens.

"We came to explain which parts could be called the Islamic teachings. In Islam for instance, an enemy in the war is clear, obviously well-targeted," he noted, adding that the enemy and target of the terrorists are not clear.

"The victims are Muslims and even innocent ones," he said.

He also disclosed that the terrorists had damaged Islam because Islam does not teach terrorism, adding that Muslims' struggle does not rely on violence.

"The terrorists on the name of Islam, are actually harming Islam," the minister stressed.

He admitted that terrorist networks are neatly arranged with the movement, financing and the targets, so that the security forces should eradicate them more intensively.

On the occasion Suryadharma said that his office was preparing religious education programs for the prisoners, including the terrorist prisoners, so that they might return to true Islamic teachings.

He hoped that religious education for the prisoners can be carried out in 2010.

The dialogue forum for them should be expanded so that they do not understand Islam only from one source but also from many sources, the minister added.