Watch
"A Muslim Solution to
Terror" ~ a video that shows
how one courageous group is encouraging millions of fans in
Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia to embrace religious tolerance and
freedom. (Flash video for broadband users, 10.1
Mb.)
LibForAll hosts an
historic
religious summit
in Bali, whose participants reject the evils of Holocaust denial and
affirm religious tolerance as a "blessing for all creation." Held
in response to the December '06 Holocaust denial conference in Tehran,
the summit showcased Indonesia's ability to play a unique role in
promoting tolerance between religions, and discrediting the ideology of
hatred. Global media coverage included wire stories on
AP,
AFP,
and Reuters, and articles in over
2,000 newspapers worldwide, from the
Wall Street Journal
and Canadian Jewish
News to the Singapore
Straits
Times, Australian, Le Monde and
Die Welt.
Recent
News/Events
LibForAll delegation visits
Egypt, where it obtains the blessing and support of the Grand
Shaykh of al-Azhar and other Muslim leaders for LibForAll's mission
to promote a pluralistic and tolerant understanding of Islam, at
peace with itself and the modern world.
LibForAll co-founder and board member Kyai Haji Abdurrahman Wahid
receives the Simon Wiesenthal Center's Medal of Valor, and advises top
U.S. government officials on
a rare visit to the
United States.
Leading Democrat and Republican
senators unite in praising LibForAll's pioneering work.
LibForAll "Peace Delegation" makes landmark visit to Israel and
Palestine. Indonesian ulama establish links with moderates on both
sides, to promote mutual understanding and respect as the basis for a
lasting peace. In the words of renowned Muslim cleric and
LibForAll advisor Kyai Haji A. Mustofa Bisri, "It is not possible to
extinguish fire with fire. It takes water." We cannot
extinguish enmity and hatred with further enmity and hatred.
Rather, it requires the courage and humility to approach "the other" in
a spirit of Divine love and compassion. With its traditions of
religious pluralism and tolerance, Indonesia and its civil society are
ideally positioned to serve as mediators, and help remove the poison of
religious hatred that has long afflicted the Middle East.
Wall Street Journal: The
Obstacles to Israeli-Palestinian Peace, by Kyai Haji Abdurrahman
Wahid and Abdul A'la, describes how non-Arab Muslim leaders can help
to remove the poison of hatred that has long frustrated attempts to
reach a political settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The New Republic: Some
Common Sense About Peace, by New Republic editor Marty
Peretz, praises K.H. Abdurrahman Wahid and Abdul A'la's Wall
Street Journal op-ed for its "strong, clear and complex"
exposition of the obstacles to Israeli-Palestinian Peace, and how
best to move forward. Peretz's conclusion: "May their
wisdom flourish."
Al-Ahram: Extremism
is Alien to Islam, by Alaa Amer, praises LibForAll Foundation as
"a nongovernmental organization which cares deeply about Islam and
Muslims. The foundation strives to express, clarify and widely
disseminate a true understanding of Islam not only to non-Muslims,
but also to Muslims in general." Al-Ahram (The
Pyramids) is one of the oldest (est. 1875) and
largest-circulation daily newspapers in the Arab world.
Reuters/LA Times: Former
Indonesian President Calls Upon Muslims to Speak Out Against
Extremism During U.S. Visit. "President
Wahid has assumed the mantle of leadership of an international
movement dedicated to stemming the tide of radical Islam and
reclaiming authentic Islam from those who have corrupted its
teachings and used them to promote a repressive political ideology,
religious intolerance and terrorism.
The lynchpin of this movement is the LibForAll Foundation, an
Indonesian-U.S.- and Netherlands-based organization that President
Wahid co-founded to propagate models of a prosperous, moderate and
tolerant Islam, and to support moderate and progressive Muslims in
their efforts to promote a culture of liberty and tolerance."
Jewish Telegraph Agency: With
Rock Music, Islamic Teachings, Ex-premier Fights for Moderate Islam.
"Wahid says moderate Islam stands a greater chance of triumphing
over Islamic radicalism once Western leaders stop trying to
accommodate Islamic extremists."
Jewish Week: Toward
a Kinder, Gentler Islam. "A former telecom CEO and the
former Indonesian president look to expand their fight against
religious extremism in the Muslim world."
Wall Street Journal: Public
Diplomacy for Dummies profiles LibForAll CEO Holland Taylor and
the Foundation's world-class achievements. "In
its brief life, LibForAll has helped turn back an attempted Islamist
takeover of the country's second-largest Muslim social organization
(with 30 million members), translated anti-Wahhabist books into
Indonesian, sponsored a recent multidenominational conference to
denounce Holocaust-denial, brought Mr. Dhani to Colorado to speak to
U.S. military brass, and launched a well-researched "extremist
exposé" in order, Mr. Taylor says, "to get Indonesian society to
consciously acknowledge that there is an infiltration occurring of
radical ideology, financed by Arab petrodollars, that is intent on
destroying Indonesian Islam."
Wall Street Journal: In
April of 2007, WSJ foreign affairs columnist
Bret Stephens
visited Indonesia with LibForAll CEO Holland Taylor, and
reported on a variety of LibForAll projects and associates.
Stories that resulted from Mr. Stephens' visit include profiles of
key LibForAll activists K.H. Abdurrahman Wahid ("The
Last King of Java") and Dr. Abdul Munir Mulkhan ("The
Exorcist"). Other articles in the series
describe President Wahid and LibForAll Advisor K.H. Mustofa Bisri's defense
of personal and artistic freedom ("Hips Don't
Lie"), and the dangers of radicalization posed by
"The Arab Invasion."
Newsweek/Washington Post: "Muslims
Speak Out" forum highlights the wisdom of LibForAll activists K.H.
Abdurrahman Wahid and Abdul Munir Mulkan, who advise Muslims
"to unite in rejecting the use of Islam as an ideology, or a
weapon to violate the sanctity of Your Islam and mine," while
calling upon religious leaders to
wage jihad against violence, "to protect the rights and dignity
of all human beings, regardless of their religious faith or lack
thereof. This is the sacred duty of those who adhere to all
religious faiths, and the true jihad that the world still awaits."
Select Media
Coverage
Agence France-Presse (AFP):
"Dalai Lama Defends
Islam at Anti-terror Religious Meeting," by Gary Chapman.
The world's oldest (and 3rd largest, after AP and Reuters) news
agency carried this story about
an historic summit between the
Dalai Lama and Muslim leaders that occurred April 15, 2006 in San
Francisco.
Agence France-Presse (AFP)/Le Monde:
"Holocaust-affirming
Conference Opens in Indonesia/L'existence de l'Holocauste réaffirmée lors d'une conférence
en Indonésie," by Sebastien Blanc.
"Although I am a good friend of Mahmud
Ahmadinejad, I have to say he is wrong,"
LibForAll co-founder Abdurrahman Wahid
told the conference, referring to the Iranian
president's dismissal of the Holocaust as a
myth. "He falsified history ... I believe
the Holocaust happened."
Associated Press:
"Former Telecom Executive Battling Extremism in Indonesia,"
by Tim Whitmire.
Associated Press:
"In Indonesia, Iranian Leader
Criticized," by Robin McDowell.
Boston Globe:
"Defeating Islamist Extremism,"
by syndicated columnist Jeff Jacoby. A
"powerful reminder that... we will not win the war against radical
Islam without Muslim allies like [Libforall patron and advisor
Abdurrahman] Wahid."
CNN:
Preaching
Religious Tolerance through Rock and Roll profiles
legendary Muslim rock star and LibForAll board
member Ahmad Dhani's pioneering work to discredit Islamist
extremism. "Where others falter, Dhani delivers... with his
music. His message for Americans and President Bush?
'Just support moderate Islam, and moderate Muslims.'"
Canadian Jewish News:
"Faith
Leaders Condemn Terrorism at Bali Conference,"
by Sarah Kraft.
"Tolerance in
many parts of the world needs a religious basis," explains Rabbi
Daniel Landes. Having that basis "strikes a very deep chord with
people."
Denver Post:
"Muslim Rocker: Bonds Trump
Bombs," by Bruce Finley. The former
fundamentalist tells a U.S. defense forum that military force alone
won't change hearts or deter terrorists.
Detik.com: Ahmad Dhani's visit to the U.S. on behalf of
LibForAll Foundation generates widespread media coverage in
Indonesia, including dozens of print and television reports, such as
this article which appeared
in Indonesia's largest news portal, detik.com.
Die Welt:
"Konferenz
auf Bali gegen Holocaust-Leugner," by
Sophie Mühlmann. "The world's most populous Muslim nation has, for an entire day,
become a showplace for a hitherto unique religious conference:
the gathering on the holiday island of Bali concerned itself
entirely with religious tolerance and recognizing Nazi persecution
of Jews as an historical reality. Indonesia thereby
consciously seeks to distance itself from fundamentalist and radical
spirits."
Fox News: "Leaders
Take on Tsunami of Religious Hate," by
Abraham Cooper and Fred Balitzer.
"The tsunami of
violence and terror swamping the Middle East is propelled by threats
from leaders justifying hate in the name of God....
In the midst of the din of
extremism and hate, where are moderate leaders of Islam? Well,
last week we found a few, and in the world’s most populous Muslim
nation, Indonesia.
The Globalist:
"The
Two Faces of Islam"
presents a key element of LibForAll's
strategy to understand and defeat Islamist extremism, by contrasting
the relative strengths of radical Wahhabi Islam and those of non-Wahhabi
"Humanitarian Islam."
Jerusalem Post:
"Mobilizing Islam's Silent Majority." Chairman and CEO
C.
Holland Taylor shares LibForAll Foundation's strategy for
mobilizing Islam's silent majority, in order to offer "a compelling
alternate vision of Islam as a religion of Divine love and tolerance
that banishes the fanatical ideology of hatred to the darkness from
which it emerged."
Los Angeles Times Sunday Magazine
profiles celebrated music producer and LibForAll associate Dawn
Elder in an article by Joseph Braude entitled
"West-East: An Arab American
producer uses the power of music to narrow the gap between
cultures."
LibForAll Foundation and
Dawn Elder Management
have joined
forces with a global team of Muslim
and
non-Muslim celebrities, to encourage people of good will of every faith and nation to unite
as “warriors of love” and
to reject all forms of religious hatred
and violence.
National Review:
"The Muslim World's Hope, and
Ours," by syndicated columnist
Mona Charen,
profiles LibForAll board members Ahmad Dhani, K.H. Abdurrahman Wahid
and C. Holland Taylor, and "their worldwide effort to counter
radical Islam by enlisting moderate Muslims" to "contend with the
radical extremists on their own chosen turf ~
the true meaning of Islam."
Public Broadcasting Service airs
Struggle for the Soul of Islam: Indonesia as part of its "America at
a Crossroads" series. LibForAll CEO Holland Taylor served as an advisor
on the film, which features LibForAll activist Ahmad Dhani and LibForAll
associate Yenny Wahid.
Religion News Service/Washington Post:
"Rock Star
Rattles Radical Islam," by Rebecca Cho. LibForAll board member Ahmad Dhani
woos youths with songs of peace and romance. Dhani, 34, says
attacking the ideology that motivates terrorists is the key to
suppressing radical Islam.
Reuters:
"Indonesia Conference
Denounces Holocaust Denial," by Fitri Wulandari.
"Former Indonesian
president Abdurrahman Wahid, who is a patron of the LibForAll
organisation aimed at countering Muslim extremism, told the
conference that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has
described the Holocaust as a "myth", was falsifying history."
Rolling Stone Magazine:
"In the Name of Love"
profiles LibForAll board member Ahmad Dhani and
his group Dewa's best-selling new album,
Republic of Love.
Renowned Sunni Muslim cleric and former Indonesian president Kyai
Haji Abdurrahman Wahid has called the album's hit single,
Warriors
of Love, "a musical fatwa against religious hatred and
terrorism."
Sicherheit Heute (Security Today):
Interview with one of the world's leading Qur'anic scholars,
LibForAll Foundation Advisor Dr. Nasr Hamid Abu-Zayd, on the
integration of Muslims into European society, and the
modernization of Islamic thought. This German online magazine,
read widely by counter-terrorism and homeland security experts, also
features the advice of LibForAll Director of Programs Dr. Ravi
Krishnamurthy:
"We Must Overcome the Crisis of Misunderstanding."
Time Magazine: "Indonesia's
Guitar Warrior"
profiles legendary rock star and LibForAll activist Ahmad Dhani, and
his work to "save the Muslim world from extremism... one song at a
time."
Time Magazine: "Why
Indonesia Matters,"
highlights the importance of the
country with the world's largest Muslim population and democracy, and the
immediate need for more vigorous mobilization by moderates to
counter the rising tide of radical ideology. Features quotes from
LibForAll co-founder and board member,
H.E. Kyai Haji Abdurrahman Wahid,
LibForAll Advisor,
Azyumardi Azra, and Yenny Wahid, Executive Director of the
Wahid Institute.
Wall Street Journal:
"Right Islam vs.
Wrong Islam," by Kyai Haji
Abdurrahman Wahid. "Muslims and non-Muslims must unite to
defeat the Wahhabi ideology." This "must-read" op-ed by
LibForAll's patron, board member and senior advisor appeared in the
year-end editions of the U.S. and European Wall Street Journal
(Friday, December 30, 2005) labeled "EXTRA! Read all about it!", and in the first edition of 2006 in the
Asian Wall Street Journal. Subsequently described by
the Wall Street Journal as
"a seminal article for this newspaper" (February 25, 2006), and
praised by the Hudson Institute's Center on Islam, Democracy and the
Muslim World as "a far-ranging and detailed account of what [Wahid]
views as 'the global struggle for the soul of Islam'... We recommend
this article, which we’ve re-published in this issue of
Current Trends in Islamist Ideology, to very serious
reading and reflection."
Wall Street Journal:
"The Evils of
Holocaust Denial," by Kyai Haji
Abdurrahman Wahid and Rabbi Israel Lau. LibForAll
co-founder Wahid and Israel's former chief rabbi call upon the
world's leaders to "face up frankly to the evils of Holocaust
denial" by "living in truth," and to "act against hatred."
Wall Street Journal:
"This Muslim Rocker
Preaches Tolerance to a Strong Drumbeat," by
Mary Kissel. "Dhani, the founder of one of Indonesia's
most popular bands, is a very different kind of rock superstar.
He's promoting moderate Islam in a lynchpin country in the war on
terror, tucking messages of tolerance beside Western beats and
Arabic rhythms." The Wall Street Journal profiles
LibForAll board member Ahmad Dhani,
who is "creating his own jihad -- for moderate Islam."
Wall Street Journal:
"Daughter
of Islam," by Nancy de Wolf
Smith. "An eloquent (and elegant) foe of Muslim extremists."
The Wall Street Journal's weekend interview profiles LibForAll
associate
Yenni Wahid, daughter of Kyai Haji Abdurrahman Wahid and
head of the Wahid Institute in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Wall Street Journal:
"The Stakes in Bali,"
by Libforall CEO C. Holland Taylor.
Islamist radicals hate and fear the variant of Islam predominant in
Indonesia.
Wall Street Journal:
"Hungry for
Asian Islam," by Joseph Braude,
tells how Southeast Asian Muslims can promote a pluralistic and
tolerant understanding of Islam in the Middle East, and recommends
strong support for such efforts.
Washington Post:
"In Indonesia,
Songs Against Terrorism," by Kyai Haji Abdurrahman
Wahid and C. Holland Taylor. The cult of death has incited fanatics to
violate Islam's most sacred teachings in the name of God. Songs by
the rock band Dewa urge listeners to join the army of love, not
jihad. (For those who cannot access the Washington Post website,
click here.)
Washington Post:
"Extremism
Isn't Islamic Law," by Kyai Haji Abdurrahman Wahid.
Muslim leader and former Indonesian President Wahid
explains in detail why rigid application of traditional
interpretations of Sharia law, such as demands for the death penalty
for those who change their religion, is in contradiction to Islamic
principles. Using Islamic sources, he argues for a "pluralistic and
tolerant understanding of Islam" and calls on
Muslims worldwide to "bring our limited, human understanding
of Islamic law into harmony with its divine spirit -- in order to
reflect God's mercy and compassion, and to bring the blessings of
peace, justice and tolerance to a suffering world."
An important article from one of the shining lights of the Muslim
world.
Weekly Standard:
"Warriors
of Love: An Unlikely Champion of Moderate Islam," by Daveed
Gartenstein-Ross.
"Dhani's vision clearly merits his inclusion at the
defense policy conference in Colorado Springs. How to foster a more
moderate Islam is one of the critical questions of the war on terror
to which, at present, there are few compelling answers. At the end
of the day, the rock musician from Indonesia may have had more
wisdom to impart than most of the other speakers."
Reader
Comments
News Events
On September 10, 2007, LibForAll became the first
non-governmental organization ever to address COTER, the European
Union's working group on counter-terrorism. The EU's Portuguese
Presidency invited LibForAll CEO Holland Taylor to describe "the
work you have done to
help to eliminate
the underlying causes of terrorism and examples of projects which have
worked successfully in Indonesia. We would also be interested to
hear your thoughts on working in Europe and North Africa."
LibForAll establishes its
European branch, Stichting LibForAll, in the historic Dutch university
town of Leiden, which enjoys a long relationship with Indonesia and is
the home of LibForAll advisor Nasr Hamid Abu Zayd. Stichting
LibForAll activities include the expansion of LibForAll's
Counter-extremism Network to Europe and key neighboring states.
LibForAll hosts an
historic
religious summit in
Bali,
whose participants reject the evils of Holocaust denial
and affirm religious tolerance as a "blessing for all creation."
Held in response to the
December '06 Holocaust denial conference in Tehran, the summit showcased
Indonesia's ability to play a unique role in promoting tolerance between
religions, and discrediting the ideology of hatred. Global media
coverage included wire stories on AP,
AFP, and
Reuters, and articles in over 2,000
newspapers worldwide, from the
Wall Street Journal
and Canadian Jewish
News to the Singapore Straits
Times, Australian, Le Monde and
Die Welt.
Read the new report by the Rand Corporation,
"Building Moderate Muslim Networks," by Angel Rabasa,
Cheryl Benard and others.
This report validates LibForAll's counter-extremism strategy, which has
been operational since 2003. The report provides concrete
recommendations for building a global counter-extremism network,
starting with regions where greater freedom of action is possible, such
as
Indonesia,
Turkey and Europe.
LibForAll Advisors and Director of
Publications launch major book positioning Indonesian Islam as
a force for pluralism and
tolerance in the modern world.
LibForAll board member and associates win 5
Indonesian "Grammy" awards (Anugerah
Musik Indonesia) at the 10th annual Indonesian music awards
ceremony, including best rock album, best rock song, best song,
best male vocalist and best creative production, as millions of young
Muslims embrace message of tolerance.
LibForAll Board Members Kyai
Haji Abdurrahman Wahid, Ahmad Dhani and C. Holland Taylor advise U.S. government
and military leaders how to secure
peace with the Muslim
world.
LibForAll Programs Director
advises the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)
and Council of Europe on
"Preventing Terrorism: Fighting Incitement and Related Terrorist
Activities."
Revered LibForAll Advisor Kyai Haji Mustofa
Bisri calls on Muslims
to reject extremist ideology and embrace a life of true
spirituality, characterized by love and respect for others.
LibForAll Programs Director
advises Congress on promoting religious freedom worldwide.
LibForAll CEO helps to organize
historic
summit between Dalai Lama and Muslim leaders from over 30 nations.
Renowned Muslim and Christian figures join
LibForAll's Board of
Advisors.
Legendary rock group launches a
"musical fatwa" against
religious hatred and terrorism, which soars to the #1 spot on
Indonesian radio and MTV Asia.
LibForAll board member
Ahmad Dhani honored
by Ambassador Karen Hughes, U.S. Under Secretary of State for Public
Diplomacy and Public Affairs.
LibForAll leadership discredits religious
extremism and violence through nationally-televised Ramadhan
dialogue, "Searching for the
True Islam."
Renowned
Sufi master Kyai Haji Luqman Hakim leads nationally-televised
iftaar (breaking of the Ramadhan fast) in Ahmad Dhani's
recording studio, attended by Dewa fans.
LibForAll Foundation's patron and advisor
Kyai Haji Abdurrahman Wahid rallies
defense of religious freedom in Indonesia, which is under
renewed attack by religious extremists. See
photos of interfaith gathering held 4 August, 2005, entitled
"Praying Together to Celebrate Pluralism."
LibForAll Award Ceremony
The headquarters of the world’s largest Muslim
organization—the Nahdlatul Ulama, with nearly 40 million
members—was the site of an awards ceremony and press conference held
on Friday, June 17, 2005 in Jakarta, Indonesia. H.E. Kyai Haji
Abdurrahman Wahid—Indonesia’s first democratically-elected president
and longtime head of the Nahdlatul Ulama—hosted the event.
Also present, as moderator, was Dr. Abdul Munir Mulkhan, Vice-Secretary of the world's second-largest
Islamic organization, the Muhammadiyah.
LibForAll CEO C. Holland Taylor and Mr. Wahid,
its patron, jointly presented the Libforall Award to members of the
best-selling Indonesian band Dewa, in recognition of their
“outstanding contribution to world peace, by communicating the
values of spiritual love, freedom and tolerance to millions of
listeners in Indonesia and abroad.”
Click here for the full story.
Media coverage of this and related events
(video requires broadband access):
RCTI GoSpot
Flash video and transcript
(14 Mb)
English transcript only
SCTV Kasak Kusuk
Flash video and transcript
(8.7 Mb)
English transcript
only
TV 7 Star 7 Flash video and transcript
(10 Mb)
English transcript only
Global TV Obsesi
Flash video and transcript
(6.3 Mb)
English transcript
only
LATIVI Mata Celebritis
English
transcript
Nyata Magazine
English transcript
Interview with Kyai Haji Abdurrahman Wahid
English transcript
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