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Posted on 10/03/2003 8:16:29 AM PDT by knighthawk
THE US is planning a $250million joint offensive with Indonesia to curb the drift of students to Islamist boarding schools that breed terrorism and preach hatred of the West.
Australia, which contributes $12million to assist the formal school system in Indonesia, may also follow the US example in boosting its spending, pending the outcome of aid reviews by the World Bank and Asia Development Bank.
A spokesman for Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said there was a growing recognition that donors, including Australia, would have to focus more on education in Indonesia.
Diplomatic sources suggested the US package to help Indonesia's 178,000 underfunded state and 12,000 West-tolerant Muslim-run schools was designed to improve the quality of teachers and education.
The US wants to make so-called radical Islamist boarding schools, or pesantren - which are often cheaper than other kinds of schools and play strong roles in supporting local communities - less attractive to Indonesian parents.
The extent of the problem at some schools was highlighted this week when Zakaria, principal of the Al-Islam School - one of the Jemaah Islamiah-linked schools where Bali bombers Ali Imron and Mubarok once taught - told The Australian the Bali bombings were "good", convicted terrorist Amrozi was a hero and the West was corrupt.
The US proposal has yet to be considered by President George W. Bush.
Labor foreign affairs spokesman Kevin Rudd attacked Australia's contribution yesterday, saying it was "abysmally low".
"There are two factors fuelling the recruitment base for JI and associated terrorist organisations in Indonesia: the drift of enrolments from under-resourced state schools to a number of pesantren, and the collapse of employment opportunities in regional areas in the wake of the Asian financial crisis.
"The Howard Government has done nothing of substance on this issue."
Australia spends about $65million of its $151.7million aid budget to Indonesia on education but most goes towards adult scholarships and vocational training.
Leading Indonesia expert Greg Feely said last night he had some misgivings about the US approach.
"I hope any government planning to boost their funding for Indonesian schools has done their research," he said.
"Families send their children to radical pesantren because they consider they teach a more pure Islam. They don't have any regard for secular or even moderate religious education."
Terrorism expert Clive Williams said the best way to rein in teaching by radical clerics would be for a council of moderate clerics to determine what could be taught.
Mr Williams said he was concerned that not only did the radical pesantren breed terrorism, but also funding was siphoned off to groups like JI to support their campaign of terror.
Mr Rudd said many of the schools did not have English language books or books on social and physical sciences, but were supplied with texts by Saudi foundations sympathetic to al-Qa'ida.
"Mr Howard and Mr Downer need to go beyond the rhetoric and work with the Indonesian authorities to ensure these schools are not terrorist breeding grounds," he said.
But a senior Government source told The Weekend Australian yesterday the Howard Government had increased its aid to Indonesia by 25per cent in the past 12 months.
The source said the Government was working towards a substantial boost for Indonesian schools, but was awaiting the outcome of the two reviews.
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