DILI, 14 june 2023 (TATOLI) – The President of the Timor-Leste Muslim Community (TLMC), Arif Abdullah Sagran said that the Tablighi Jamaat group is not a terrorist group and that its presence in the country is not a threat to national security.
The Tablighi Jamaat group of eight people, arrived in Timor-Leste, on Tuesday (13/05) to spread the doctrine and message of Islam to the Muslim communities in the country.
Upon their arrival in the country, a hoax spread among the public that they were a terrorist group, but Timor-Leste Authority has today confirmed that their presence is legal.
The eight members of the Tablighi Jamaat are from a number of countries including Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Oman.
The Deputy Interior Minister, António Armindo, said that the visit of the Tablighi Jamaat group to the country is legal since Timor-Leste Muslim Community (TLMC) formally presented its letter requesting authorization for the group’s visit to the country on may 16.
“We received a formal letter from the president of TLMC, Arif Abdullah Sagran regarding the visit of this group to Timor-Leste,” Armindo told reporters at the Office of the Interior Ministry, in Dili, today.
He said that during their 25-day stay in the country, they will collaborate closely with the authorities in carrying out activities in the municipalities of Baucau, Lautem, Manufahi, and so on.
“We don’t want to politicize the situation. Since Timor-Leste is a democratic country, let people, especially tourists, enjoy their stay in Timor-Leste,” Minister Armindo said.
Arif Abdullah Sagran paid a visit to Interior Ministry today to meet with Deputy Minister Armindo to provide clarification regarding the presence of the group in the country.
Sagran said that this group has visited the country before during Covid-19: “They arrived again yesterday, and another group from Oman will visit Timor-Leste on Idual Adah day, june 28.”
“According to the hoax, this group is terrorists and I want to make it clear to the public that they are not terrorists. They have been here before,” Sagran stated.
Echoing Minister Armindo’s statements, Sagran said that his party did indeed submit a formal letter to the Immigration Office about the group’s visit to the country: “We received a circular letter from the authority about their presence in the country.”
“I think the hoax was spread by a small group that tried to cause a religious conflict in the country. But, we don’t want this to happen,” Sagran said.
Sagran emphasized that the presence of this group is part of the Document of Human Fraternity which was promoted by the President of the Republic, José Ramos Horta, and ratified by the National Parliament to ensure that Muslims and Catholics live in peace and harmony: “We will show the world that there is no religious conflict in the country.
Tablighi Jamaat is one of the most widespread Sunni Islam movements in the 20th century, which is estimated to have between 12 and 80 million adherents worldwide and spread over 150 countries, with the majority living in South Asia.
Tablighi Jamaat was established in 1926 by Muhammad Ilyas al-Kandhlawi, in the Mewat region of India. It has roots in the Deobandi reformist tradition and developed as a response to the perceived deterioration of moral values and the supposed neglect of aspects of Islam.
Journalist: Filomeno Martins
Editor: Nelia Borges
