REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA - National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT)'s plan to conduct ulama certification in relation to counter terrorist has drawn pros and cons from many parties. Deputy Secretary General of Indonesian Board of Ulama (MUI), Tengku Zulkarnaen, expected the government would allow the council to found and supervise ulamas.

MUI, he said, was mediator of ulama and people. He considered State Intelligence Agency (BIN) as lack of coordination with MUI and other Islamic organizations.

The Chairman of Muslim Ulama Forum (FUUI), Athian Ali M Da'i, said the plan on certification could inflict relationship between ulama and government. The plan seems to consider ulama as the mastermind of terrorism act in Indonesia as well as discredit Islam on counterterrorism.

Meanwhile, Secretary General of Indonesian Council of Youth Ulama and Intellectual (MIUMI), Bachtiar Natsir, said ulama must certify, supervise, and evaluate the performance of BNPT. "BNPT and Densus 88 are failed on controlling state safety and defense from terrorist threat," he said.

The Chief of BNPT, Ansyaad Mbai, said he had never proposed ulama certification in Indonesia. He said that Director of De-radicalization in BNPT Ifran Idris was only giving an example from Singapore, which certifying its ulama for de-radicalization. Earlier, Idris, said that certification would allow government to measure and anticipate the role of ulama in growing radical action.

Sociologist Dadang Kahmad said the certification had both positive and negative sides. "Certification would distinguish the 'right' from the 'wrong'," he said. Yet, he admitted that certification would also open the opportunity to control the ulama.

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