The Personage Of Sigit Qardhowi: The Milk Which Is Repaid With Poison

Jamadi-ul-Thani 18, 1432 A.H, Sunday, May 22, 2011

Doing good in this country (Indonesia) is not necessarily rewarded with kindness. In fact, it could even lead to death. This happened to Sigit Qardhowi (36), a resident of Sraten Serengan, Surakarta. His experience in upholding the security for the area of Solo and its surroundings so that they are free from the gambling and alcohol, ends up in his death.

The people in the locality know him as a figure who is friendly, sociable, cooperative, likes to help others and he was often asked to become the Imam rawatib (permanent) in the Musolla Suryani in front of his house.

It's not a matter of having big and tall body posture that makes Sigit feared among the circles of renowned thugs in Solo. But more to because of the Laskar Hisbah that he led, where it often makes the owners of night entertainment outlets, gamblers and drinkers panic-stricken and flee if they are doing their “sweeping actions”.

Besides the prostitution in the area of Banjarsari and the Christianization in Serengan, Solo is famous with bookies and liquor suppliers. Though widespread, the area of Kliwon Market becomes its centre. As if Solo has already been charted as such.

Sigit and his Hisbah Team usually carried out the sweeping actions on weekend nights and everyday in the month of August, where the 'Bazaar of 17 August' are usually merrily held, intermixed with immoral activities.

Of course, nothing is unknown to the authorities regarding this things. Coordination is always prioritized as a proof of obedience to the law. But it has become a common thing to be acknowledged by the public of Solo. The reports about the community who are troubled with the gambling and liquor drinking activities are oftentimes limited to only written reports which are not so attended be the relevant authority. In fact, the residents of the Kliwon Market area and Solo are generally well aware that the bad activities of this community are backed by many of the local police officers.

“Everyone already knows who's at play Sir. We have reported it, but then it was as if we are the guilty ones instead. Why not! They (the corrupt police - ed.) are their backings,” said one resident of Serengan who did not want his name written.

“They also are also participating in the drinking and 'playing' activities Sir, we don't dare to reprove. Let alone to report!” another resident replied.

Some administrators of the RT (neighbourhood watch association) of Serengan and Kliwon Market area have requested from the committees of the masjid to convey it to the Hisbah Team, with regards to the request for a “sweeping action” against those social ills. When asked on why they chose the path of the laskar (militancy), and not using the legal channel through the authorities, on average they responded that they are lazy to do it and a number of other answers matched with we have just mentioned above.

The major incident of the destruction of the facilities of Warung Doyong cafe in Grogol, Sukoharjo in 2005, is said to be one reason for the consequent death of Sigit. From the findings, the Warung Doyong cafe at that time was organizing immoral activities. It was attended by an official in the rank of a police officer along with his staffs, reputedly only to drop by and have a break from their jobs. Seeing the incident, the officer and his staff ran away leaving Warung Doyong cafe.

Sigit Qardhowi was blacklisted because of their activities which make night entertainment enterprisers restless. His name became a target of operations. He continued to be under the surveillance of the police intelligence. In fact, on account of the closeness of the observers and the observed, some da'wah activists in Solo called him with the title "Sigit Intel" (Sigit a friend of the intel – ed). The authorities are rather successful in pitting Muslims against each other.

Sigit Qardhowi was hunted down on Saturday, the 14th May 2011. The manhunt task was assigned to the Densus 88 Anti-Teror team. Their achievement in hunting and killing “terrorist” suspects in Indonesia has already been made known by the media. The voices of the Human Rights National Commission which repeatedly expressed the needs to evaluate and audit the performance of the Densus 88 as a killing machine, are often ignored. Gories Mere, one of its shadow leaders made the Densus 88 thick skinned and immune to various criticisms.

Sigit and Hendro, members of Laskar Hisbah were murdered at the end of the alley in Palagan Tentara Pelajar Street, Sanggrahan village, Grogol, Sukoharjo subdistrict, Central Java, or in front of the Sidorejo Sangrahan pharmacy to be exact.

Traces from the shootings remained on the five-meter-high white wall of a two-story house. At least there are still marks of three bullet holes on the wall. While blood spots were dotting the wall as high as three meters.

The locals assessed that the unintentional killing of a local man, Nur Iman, a street-food vendor, is more due to the fact that Nur Iman was witnessing the savagery of the Densus 88's action in murdering Sigit and Hendro.

The wife of Nur Iman, Waliyem, along with her two children and mother, until now have not yet returned to their home. Budiyana, the head of the RT (neighbourhood watch) of Sanggrahan village, Grogol, Sukoharjo, said that the family of Nur Iman were taken by the police.

To cover their brutal actions, Waliyem, the wife of the late Nur Iman was promised to be given compensations in which the value was not mentioned by the police. More than that, Waliyem and her family were forced to have the notion that the death of Nur Iman was caused by the bullet from Sigit, who opened fire at the Densus 88 during a shootout. It was also presented as such to the media by the Police in a press release. Despite the rain of criticisms coming from the National Human Rights Commission due to the absence of a ballistic proof test, the Police only responded to it nonchalantly. Until now, Waliyem and her children are still under a tight guard and could not be met by anyone, not to mention the crew of journalists.

According to the locals, it is unclear whether there was a shootout or it was just a one direction shooting from the Densus 88 team. Earlier, the police stated that Sigit and Hendro fired blindly.

A citizen who wished to remain anonymous said, he heard a commotion, then he heard a member of the Densus 88 said, "Still alive!", then he heard shots again. This citizen assumes that Sigit and Hendro were still alive when shot, and later were shot again until they were dead in front of the two-story house that left spots of blood on the wall.

Many people assumed that most probably Sigit and Hendro were shot from below looking at their bloods that spurted upwards.

It turns out that the brutality of the Densus 88 did not end here. On Sunday, 15th May 2011, after Sigit was shot, his parents' house which is located in the Sraten area, was also searched. Their excuse was that, they wanted to find evidence. The day before that, on Saturday afternoon, Sigit's parents had turned on the lights and entrusted the house to the neighbours as they had to leave and follow on Sigit's janazah which was flown to Jakarta and before that was transited in Semarang for the autopsy and removal of gunshot wounds.

Sensing that they were covered by TV journalists, their action was punctuated with the breaking of the gate which was only 1.5 meter high. And that was not even a sharply spiked fence. Feeling shocked by it, some residents came out to see what happened and admonished the act. The reproof was responded with threats, so that the residents who had no business go back in to each of their houses and close their doors tightly.

A neighbour said that she felt traumatic with the acts and threats. She even called her husband immediately with a mobile phone to ask him to return home as the situation was grave. From the end of the voice, sobs could be heard.

Their brutal actions continued with things which are unnecessary i.e. the breaking of the glass window. The only resident allowed to watch was the Head of RT (nighbourhood watch association), even then it was only after the house of Sigit's parent was neatly with arranged evidences in the form of fertilizer powder which was said to be explosive materials, firearms, as well as 15 porno VCD's.

The Head of the RT was also surprised to see the evidences that have been arranged. He was more surprised to learn that the one who all this while had been appointed as imam in the Musolla nearby, turned out to have collected pornographic VCD's. Some residents who got the story from the Head of the RT after the incident, expressed their disbelief with these findings, in fact they are suspicious with the officers who did the search, that they were the ones who put those items. Because, what is generally known by the public all this while, it was the Sector and Resort Police that conducted confiscations of pornographic VCD's from the stalls of the sellers. Sure they have more collection. Perhaps what is alleged by the citizens is indeed true.

Furthermore, this happened not long after the announcement by America which said that they had managed to seize Usamah bin Ladin's computer. In their explanation, the Americans said the computer also contained pornographic contents. See, here is where an interesting finding emerged.

America is the qibla for the “war on terrorism”. The whole behaviours and any pattern that America do, becomes a model to be emulated — in fact, recommended by America itself—by the anti-terror units around the world. Including the Densus 88, where the process of its birth was of course aided by America.

Therefore, when America practices its maneuver of character assassination by making up stories that Usamah collected pornographic materials, it is also at that instant that the maneuver was copy-pasted by the Densus 88, without any explanation from the Head of the RT whom (they say) was the witness to the search. It was only the Densus 88 who played the every act. From having the right to announce, to being the judge at the same time, without the need to involve a witness.

The janazah of Sigit Qardhowi, whose real name was Hermawan Wijayanto, was finally returned on Wednesday, 18th May 2011. The family admitted that they felt smashed with the brutal actions of the Densus 88 Team in dealing with the alleged acts of terrorism. Especially that all this time, Sigit in his daily life was doing ordinary activities like other citizens in general (he was not on the run). Even if Sigit had been made as a DPO (wanted list) fugitive, there have to be a letter summoning him to the Mapolsek (Sector Police HQ) as a proof that he had committed acts of terrorism.

Sigit was a young man who had the spirit of a knight. Whatever summons coming from any institution, he will be attending it, because Sigit was a very cooperative person. Sigit was proven to be accountable for his actions with the Hisbah Team when he was sentenced to six months in jail due to the act of “vandalism” on the Warung Doyong cafe in Sukoharjo which was caught selling liquor in 2005.

However, what becomes the curiosity for the families and the local people was that, they were never informed of the fact that Sigit had been set as a DPO fugitive since September 2010 by the Mabes Polri (Police HQ).

According to Edi Lukito, the leader of the Laskar Umat Islam Surakarta (LUIS), the activities of the Hisbah Team carried out by Sigit Qardhowi in Solo focused on the eradication of vices, especially alcohol and gambling activities. Due to the role of Sigit and the Hisbah Team, the level of social ills, crimes and the distribution of alcohol in the city of Solo becomes eliminated or decreases rapidly. “This is the kind of an achievement,” Edi Lukito said during a press conference with the ISAC (Islamic Study and Action Center) on Saturday 14th May at Masjid Baitussalam Tipes.

Now, Sigit Qardhowi and one of his friends, Hendro Yunanto, have been shot dead by the malignant bullets of the Densus 88. Thousands of people came to mourn and accompany the funeral procession. Despite the heavy rains that flushed the City of Solo, the Arjuna 2 Alley, Glondongan, Serengan, Solo, the place where he lived with both of his parents, did not dampen the enthusiasm of the thousands of citizens who wanted to perform the funeral prayer and pay a last respect for Sigit at the Musolla Suryani, where he usually became the imam in the congregational prayers. The Head of the Serengan Subdistrict even delivered a reception foreword before sending off the janazah to the Pracimaloyo Cemetery, Makamhaji, Sukoharjo.

Don't know, who else will continue the achievements of these two men in eradicating the social ills, that seems like a vicious circle. It never ceases because it is ‘protected’ by the owners of some interests.

Maybe the fans of immoral activities, owners of night entertainments outlets and the thugs, backed by the local police officers in Solo, can cheer for a while on the death of the two men. But do not forget that evil and injustice have already been outlined to always compete with goodness and justice. Hoping to wait for the generations who are as heroic and as brave as Sigit and his friend, Hendro.

TW, a resident of Solo who feels the achievement of Sigit with his Hisbah Team.

Also sad with the departure of Nur Iman, may there be no other street-food vendor who is deliberately killed so as not to be a witness to the brutal savagery of the Densus 88. May Waliyem, the wife of Nur Iman return to her family in a not traumatic condition due to the intimidation and persuasion from the accursed satan.

PRESS RELEASE: The ISAC Demands The National Human Rights Commission To Seriously Expose The Motive Of Densus 88 Anti-Terror Team In Shooting To Death Sigit Qurdhowi, Hendro Yunanto and Nur Iman.

Responding to the shooting of Sigit Qardhowi and Hendro by the Densus 88 team on the dawn of Saturday, the 14th May, the ISAC (Islamic Study and Action Center) held a press conference in Masjid Baitussalam Tipes.

As is known, Sigit Qardhowi was the commander of the laskar of the Hisbah Team, while Hendro was one of its members. The Hisbah Team is an Islamic youth movement in the city of Solo that always carried out the activities of Amar Ma'ruf Nahi Munkar such as operations against immoral activities.

In the Press Conference, the ISAC deplored the murder executed by the Densus 88 against Islamic activists.

And here is the content of the statement by the ISAC of Solo:

Press Release

The ISAC deplores the shooting to death of the Commander of the Hisbah Team and a local resident by the Densus 88 Team.

Today, the Densus 88 Anti-Terror Team are again committing murder by shooting to death 2 members of the Laskar Islam of Solo from the Hisbah Team, namely Sigit Qardhowi and Hendro, as well as a local man of Sangrahan Sukoharjo named Nur Iman, a street-food vendor.

From the investigation, the following data was obtained:

1. Sigit Qardhowi and Hendro were shot to death from a close range where bloods are not only splattered on the ground, but there are also remaining spots of blood as high as 3 meters on the walls of a nearby house.

2. Nur Iman was at the south of the scene, while the Densus 88 was at the north of the scene, Sigit Qardhowi and Hendro were in the middle, logically the simple bullets which caused the death of Nur Iman were from the north.

3. The Densus 88 had long trailed the concerned, they should have been overpowered and captured alive.

The ISAC considered the operations executed by the Densus 88 Anti-Terror as follows:

1. The Densus 88 Anti-Terror Team could not carry out the mission of the POLRI as the upholder of the law. They do not only have the wrong targets, but also fail to prove in court.

2. By the approach of shooting to death, the Densus 88 seems to close the case, as well as ignoring the principle of presumed innocent before proven guilty.

3. We do not agree if the bullet that killed Nur Iman was coming from Sigit Qardhowi without any independent Ballistics Tests.

4. We judge that the death of the two members of the Laskar Islam are in the condition of Khusnul Khatimah, and they died as Mujahids.

Therefore, the ISAC demands:

1. To the National Human Rights Commission, to comprehensively investigate this case for alleged violations against the Human Rights for making someone lose his life without a court decision.

2. To the Irwasum (General Supervision Inspector) and Propam (Profession and Security) Division of the POLRI HQ, to take firm actions against the Densus 88 Anti-Terror Team for mistakenly shooting Nur Iman, a resident of Sangrahan.

3. To the DPR RI (Indonesian Legislative Assembly), to immediately evaluate the performance of the Densus 88 Anti-Terror Team, so that this sort of thing does not happen repeatedly.

The statement from the ISAC was signed by the Chairman of the ISAC, M. Kurniawan, S.Ag;SH;MH and the Secretary, Endro Sudarsono, S.Pd.

[muslimdaily.net]