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Selected Tributes to LibForAll Co-founder
Kyai Haji Abdurrahman Wahid (1940 – 2009)

Wall Street Journal, “Wahid and the Voice of Moderate Islam,” by Paul Wolfowitz, former U.S. ambassador to Indonesia and assistant secretary of state for East Asia. “Even more important than his role as a politician, Wahid was the spiritual leader of Nahdlatul Ulama, the largest Muslim organization in Indonesia, and probably in the world, with 40 million members. He was a product of Indonesia’s traditionally tolerant and humane practice of Islam, and he took that tradition to a higher level and shaped it in ways that will last long after his death.”

Wall Street Journal Asia, “A President for All People.” “Many Muslim Indonesians considered Mr. Wahid a living saint. But Christians, Buddhists and many others mourned his passing last week. Their grief is testament to the power of his ideas, not just for Indonesians, but for every other pluralistic society seeking a peaceful and prosperous future.”

The Jakarta Post, “The blind man with 20/20 vision: A tribute to Abdurrahman Wahid,” by Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate Dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center. “By the time I met him in the spring of 2007, his eyesight was failing, and his kidneys were not far behind. Yet, it took only a half hour, sitting with him and his family around their dining room table in Jakarta, to come under Gus Dur’s spell. With the passing of Abdurrahman Wahid we have lost a leader with crystal clear vision of Religion’s true role in the lives of individuals and nations. Let the memory of this good man help us take back the day from extremism and hate.”

The Jakarta Post, “The voice in the wilderness,” by Anand Krishna. “The “voice” is gone. And we are left with wilderness. Gus Dur, the voice that made the wilderness less terrifying, shall no longer be heard. His was the voice of hope, the voice that kept the flame of hope burning in many hearts.... The echo of each and every word he ever uttered shall remain here. Right here, with you and with me - with all of us.”

Democracy Digest, “Democratic reformer and advocate of civil Islam dies,” by Michael Allen. “Wahid, known by his nickname Gus Dur, was a democratic reformer and advocate of moderate Islam. 'He was one of the greatest thinkers and philosophers of Islam in Indonesia.'”

Heritage Foundation, “Passing of an Indonesian Giant,” by Walter Lohman. “Indonesia and the world will miss Gus Dur dearly. ...he will be remembered as one of its greatest men and hopefully a model for its future.”

The Australian, “Australia owes a debt of gratitude to Indonesia's accidental president,” by Greg Barton. “Australia lost one of its best friends in Southeast Asia with the passing of former Indonesian president Abdurrahman Wahid on Wednesday. A controversial figure, particularly as president, Wahid was nevertheless loved and admired by tens of millions.”

The Australian, “A legacy of democracy.” “The outpouring of affection for Gus Dur is not surprising... A moderate Islamic scholar, his most important legacy was paving the way for the democracy that Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation, now enjoys.”

The Age, “Gentle friendly face of Indonesia and Islam,” by Greg Barton. “Wahid is remembered today largely for his role as a reformist president, but history is likely to also remember him as one of the 20th century's leading Islamic intellectuals and as someone who demonstrated how a traditional Islamic scholar can also be modern, democratic and humanitarian.”

Bangkok Post, “Fine example for the region.” “One of the world's most admirable leaders died last week. It is lamentable that the name of Abdurrahman Wahid is less known than the villains and tyrants he fought and overcame. The former president of Indonesia was the major reason his country emerged from brutality and chaos to become the best example of democratic advances in Southeast Asia today. Known both affectionately and respectfully as Gus Dur, Wahid has left a legacy that will be difficult to live up to, but highly deserving of the effort.”

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The Heritage Foundation, "U.S.-Indonesia Relations: Build for Endurance, Not Speed," by Walter Lohman. "The Administration and Congress should support counter-extremism programs in Indonesia. By building and strengthening liberty-minded Muslim networks, media, and school curriculums, organizations like the LibForAll Foundation are working actively to attack Islamism at its ideological roots."

Center for Asymmetric Threat Studies at the Swedish National Defense College: "Preventing Violent Radicalization and Terrorism: The Case of Indonesia," by Magnus Ranstorp.   A year-long study conducted by CATS on behalf of SIDA (the Swedish Foreign Aid Agency) reports that "The LibForAll Foundation (LibForAll) is a particularly interesting non-governmental actor that is able to create networks and promote effective messages and initiatives in various constellations....  LibForAll has been exceptional in a regional context for issues involving innovative forms and communicating the message of anti-extremism. One guiding star in these efforts has been selecting methods with maximum impact and that reach the largest possible audience....

"LibForAll's publication of The Illusion of an Islamic State: The Expansion of Transnational Islamist Movements to Indonesia had a considerable impact on domestic policy. It primarily contributed to neutralizing one candidate's bid for vice president in the 2009 national election campaign, who had ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. It also helped drive a wedge between President Susilo Yudhoyono, who was running for re-election, and the PKS party's candidate, which had been his coalition partner for the previous five years. PKS has played a double role – it has supported the government the past five years on the one hand and continued to promote radicalization on the other. Yudhoyono nominated a strong nationalist candidate as vice president instead.

"LibforAll's demonstration of strength involves creating a cross-sector network that is based on a five-level integration of the following: religious leaders (ulama) who have garnered widespread public support and who can address radical backlash; religious scholars and teachers who can garner the requisite intellectual and theological support for a pluralistic and tolerant interpretation of Islam; pop idols who have massive support from young people; government leaders who are able to address social factors as an underlying factor of extremism; as well as business leadership that can offer requisite financial support.

"LibForAll constitutes... an interesting phenomenon in terms of bridging the gap against extremism both within and between regions. The organization has also, in an experimental manner, used various means and forums to reach out to as large a segment of society as possible by using credible messengers and new technological platforms. LibForAll's coordinated media strategy has had a decisive political effect in terms of curbing political parties with an extremist agenda. Exposing the true nature of the parties has enabled marginalization of corrosive, subversive forces."

Newsweek, "The Jihad Against the Jihadis," by Fareed Zakaria, cites the CATS study and, without naming LibForAll, refers to its decisive role in helping to counter radicalization: "Perhaps the most successful country to combat jihadism has been the world's most populous Muslim nation, Indonesia. In 2002 that country seemed destined for a long and painful struggle with the forces of radical Islam. The nation was rocked by terror attacks, and a local Qaeda affiliate, Jemaah Islamiah, appeared to be gaining strength. But eight years later, JI has been marginalized and main-stream political parties have gained ground, all while a young democracy has flowered after the collapse of the Suharto dictatorship.

"Magnus Ranstorp of Stockholm's Center for Asymmetric Threat Studies recently published a careful study examining Indonesia's success in beating back extremism. The main lesson, he writes, is to involve not just government but civil society as a whole, including media and cultural figures who can act as counterforces to terrorism."

International Relations and Security Network, "The Ripples of Ft Hood," by Shaun Waterman. "The consequences of recognizing the attack as an act of lone wolf terror motivated by Islamic extremism are "difficult for many people to acknowledge and address […] they raise uncomfortable questions for us as a society," C Holland Taylor of the LibForAll Foundation told ISN Security Watch.  Taylor said the implications of recognizing that the enemy in the war on terror was an ideology and its adherents were profound."

The Washington Post, "As Indonesia Debates Islam's Role, U.S. Stays Out," by Andrew Higgins. Pulitzer prize-winning journalist reports on U.S. government's abject failure to support moderate Muslims in their struggle with extremism, while rationalizing this timidity as "sound policy." "One U.S. group jumps in - While the Asia Foundation and others dived for cover, one American outfit jumped into the theological fray with gusto. In December 2003, C. Holland Taylor, a former telecommunications executive from Winston-Salem, N.C., set up a combative outfit called LibForAll Foundation to 'promote the culture of liberty and tolerance.'"

Sabili, "Ideological Warfare is More Powerful, and Dangerous, Than Bombs." In the wake of the July 17, 2009 terrorist bombings of the Marriott and Ritz-Carlton Hotels in Jakarta, an enormous wave of publicity swept Indonesia, linking the terrorists to the transnational ideology of Wahhabism identified months earlier in Illusion of an Islamic State. The extremist magazine Sabili dedicated an entire issue in August of 2009 to defending Wahhabism and denying its alleged role in terrorism, including a 4-page article about Illusion of an Islamic State, excerpts of which appear below:

"Like the change of seasons, heavy rain always begins with an initial shower. The enemies of Islam never cease in their efforts to destroy the Muslim community. They use not only physical methods, but ideological warfare as well. They regard this methodology as more inexpensive and effective. Just look at what happened before the bombing of the J.W. Marriott and Ritz Carlton hotels. The previous month we were “treated” to the book Illusion of an Islamic State, which attacks political Islam.

"The afore-mentioned book was published jointly by the Bhinneka Tunngal Ika [Oneness Amid Diversity: Indonesia’s national slogan] Movement, the Wahid Institute and the Maarif Institute. The book represents the result of more than two years’ research by LibForAll Foundation.... History tells the world that radicalism is constantly nurtured, to serve colonial interests that always alternate players. Thus, loud statements about [an alleged] Wahhabi [threat] are truly more powerful and dangerous than bombs."

Hidayatullah, "It’s the West that Benefits Most from Stigmatizing Wahhabism." Another major extremist magazine, Hidayatullah, also devoted an August cover story and several articles to the subject of Wahhabism, and Illusion of an Islamic State’s role in generating massive public rejection of Wahhabi/radical ideology, as seen below:

“Since the explosion of the bombs in Kuningan [Jakarta] in July of 2009, the terms Wahhabism and transnationalism have suddenly been on everyone’s lips.  Many national television stations and other mass media outlets have been quoting a number of leading national figures about the relationship between terrorist bombs and Wahhabism.

“Whether this is intentional or not, one thing is certain: the assistance of media (especially TV) has caused the term Wahhabi to become a new stigma that is terrorizing many [extremist] Muslim organizations.  It may be that those behind the spread of this stigma hope to divide Indonesian Muslims and turn them against each other….

“The people behind this are identical to those who were behind the book The Illusion of an Islamic State….  I can’t stop thinking about LibForAll (which financed and published this project) and how it claims to be liberal and promoting liberalism, but in reality is extremely conservative, sectarian and exclusive, unwilling to tolerate differences [i.e., extremist interpretations of Islam].”

IndUS Business Journal, "Engineering vet finds passion with Muslim nonprofit," by Martin Desmarais. Profile of LibForAll Vice President, Dr. Ravi Krishnamurthy. "Though his work is now in the nonprofit realm, Krishnamurthy does not look at it any differently than his time spent in the technology world. He believes he brings a 'unique combination of theology, business and technical expertise' to LibForAll."

Carolina Alumni Review, "Meditations on Moderate Islam," by Lucy Hood. "C. Holland Taylor '78... is a director and founder of a Winston-Salem-based non-profit called LibForAll, which combats Islamic extremism by providing support to moderate and liberal Muslim leaders around the world. "Our goal," he says, "is to help ensure the global triumph of a pluralistic and tolerant understanding of Islam, at peace with itself and the modern world.""

The New York Times, "Islam, Virgins and Grapes," by Nicholas D. Kristof. "One of the scholars at the Notre Dame conference whom I particularly admire is Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd, an Egyptian Muslim who argues eloquently that if the Koran is interpreted sensibly in context then it carries a strong message of social justice and women’s rights. "...Dr. Abu Zayd is helping the LibForAll Foundation, which promotes moderate interpretations throughout the Islamic world."

The Heritage Foundation, "The Challenge to Religious Liberty in Indonesia," by Richard G. Kraince. "In an effort to assess the impact and methods of Islamist influence, a consortium of some of Indonesia’s most prominent Islamic leaders, in collaboration with the LibForAll Foundation, recently released a report titled “The Illusion of an Islamic State: The Expansion of Transnational Islamist Movements to Indonesia.” The group argues that the extremist form of Islam in Indonesia is “a virulent ideology, backed by immense funding, and operating in a systematic manner, as transnational Islamic movements and their local agents work nonstop to undermine and ultimately seize control” of the nation."

The Heritage Foundation, "Reviving Pakistan’s Pluralist Traditions to Fight Extremism," by Lisa Curtis and Haider A. H. Mullick. Policy Recommendations "Support nongovernmental efforts to promote religious tolerance and pluralism. U.S. officials should recognize and support important work by nongovernmental organizations in promoting religious pluralism. For example, the LibforAll Foundation has done groundbreaking work in Indonesia by building networks among educators, religious leaders, celebrities, and opinion leaders in promoting religious pluralism. This approach could also be applied in Pakistan."

Wall Street Journal, "Indonesia Rejects Extremism," by Sadanand Dhume. "A pathbreaking new report by LibForAll Foundation, an anti-extremist non-profit co-founded by former Indonesian president Abdurrahman Wahid, notes that PKS continues its effort to infiltrate mainstream Islamic organizations, and replace Indonesia's tolerant, homespun Islam with an arid import from the Middle East."

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