VOA常速英语2008年-Think Tank Calls for Monitoring of Regional Ter

By Marianne Kearney
Jakarta
29 February 2008

An international research organization is calling on the Indonesian government to monitor the publishing arm of Jemaah Islamiyah, the group blamed for the Bali bombings and other terrorist attacks in Indonesia. The organization does not recommend closing the publishing operation down, however, as Marianne Kearney explains from Jakarta.

Jemaah Islamiyah has been blamed for a number of terrorist attacks since the 2002 bombings that killed more than 200 people on the Indonesian island of Bali. A report by the International Crisis Group shows that JI, as the group is known, has also developed a flourishing publishing business.

Hundreds of JI members allegedly involved in the bombings have been killed or arrested by the Indonesian security forces. But the study says the publishing network of printers, translators, designers, marketers, and distributing agents could allow the organization to survive despite the crackdown.

Sidney Jones, the Crisis Group's senior advisor¹, says that most of the books discuss Islamic lifestyle, while others are downloads from al-Qaida websites, translated into Indonesian.

Jones says some of the material contains debate over whether terrorist tactics are permitted in Islam.

"There is a discussion going on about whether indiscriminate bombings are a desirable tactic², and one of the interesting things is that one of the most recent books published was arguing against the use of suicide bombings, and against the use of bombings that kill a large number of civilians³," Jones said.

Since the Bali bombings, there has been a split in Jemaah Islamiyah over the group's tactics. Jones says some JI members disagree with the use of bombings that target civilians.

She says that because the books promote useful debate about violent jihad, and possibly even channel the energies of JI members into peaceful political activity, they should not be shut down.

"I think that it's actually very useful to have this debate going on within the organization," Jones noted⁴, "it's going on as a result of translations from Arabic to Indonesian, of works published by very well know jihadi ideologues who have distanced themselves from Al Qaida."

She says monitoring this lively debate, and the network of businesses that support the publishing industry, could be a good way for the Indonesian government to keep tabs on the future direction of Jemaah Islamiyah.

1 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

2 tactic   

n.战略，策略；adj.战术的，有策略的

参考例句：

• Reducing prices is a common sales tactic.降价是常用的销售策略。
• She had often used the tactic of threatening to resign.她惯用以辞职相威胁的手法。

3 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。

4 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。