Islamic Organization Wants Menacing Websites Blocked

Jakarta (Antara) - An Islamic organization in Indonesia has urged the government to block menacing websites that have not yet been detected by a panel recently set up for the purpose. \"We can see several websites that are dangerous and have the potential to spread radicalism, such as the ideology of Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), but they have not yet been blocked. They must immediately be blocked,\" the deputy general chairman of the executive board of Nahdlatul Ulama (PBNU), Asad Said Ali, said here on Friday. He made the request during a discussion, \"Effectiveness of Blocking Radical Websites in the Fight against Terrorism,\" on the Bhayangkara Jaya Raya University campus in Jalan Dharmawangsa, South Jakarta. The websites that the PBNU wants blocked because they carry negative contents are Milaibrahim, Ansyarudaullah, ansaruttauhid, jihadologi, azzam blog, sautusallam, and Al-busro. \"They carry radical contents and even give lessons on how to make bombs; this indicates they are closely linked with ISIS, but they have been ignored,\" he explained. He remarked the PBNU supported and appreciated the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) and the Ministry of Informatics and Communication for blocking 19 websites that were believed to be spreading radicalism. \"I hailed the blocking of 19 websites. That was good. There must be more firm actions, and with regard to protests by the operators of 12 of the 19 websites, it is alright as remedial steps can be taken, such as that by Dakwatuna.com belonging to the Prosperous Justice Party,\" he stressed. Asad observed that several websites that support ISIS have addresses and clear operators, so the BNPT and the Ministry of Informatics and Communication must take firm actions against them. \"To me, criteria for blocking a website include their operators and contents. If, for example, the content of a website belonging to NU helps ISIS, then NU must be reprimanded. However, if the ownership is affiliated to ISIS, then the website must be blocked straightaway,\" he noted. Asas pointed out that ISIS\'s ideology is a threat not only to Indonesia but also to the world. He emphasized that ISIS\'s ideology is not Islamic because it propagates hatred against other human beings, even Muslims belonging to different sects. Meanwhile, the government has lifted restrictions on 12 out of the 19 Islamic websites that were blocked recently for allegedly promoting radicalism. After the Forum for Handling Websites carrying Negative Contents (FPSIBN) conducted a meeting on terrorism, SARA (ethnicity, religious, racial and group), and hate issues here on Thursday, the deputy chairman of the FPSIBN, Agus Barnas, said the operation of 12 websites will be normalized, but they will be under supervision. \"We are restoring only 12 out of 19 blocked websites because only their operators communicated with the forum and that showed their goodwill, besides a dialog that has happened with them regarding the importance of maintaining the integrity of the Unitary State of Indonesia,\" he stated. The 12 websites that have been unblocked are hidayatullah.com, salam-online.com, aqlislamcenter.com, kiblat.net, gemaislam.com, panjimas.com, muslimdaily.net, voa-islam.com, dakwatuna.com, an-najah.net, eramuslim.com, and arrahmah.com.(*) Reporting by Ricky Prayoga