By Amy Chew
CNN

Police recently arrested Laskar Jihad members in Papua for carrying knives, slingshots and other related items 

INDONESIA, Jakarta -- A militant Indonesian Muslim group blamed for fueling several sectarian conflicts in the country has entered into the predominantly Christian province of Papua. 

The presence of Laskar Jihad has raised fears among Papuans that the group may try to incite religious conflict in a province which has long existed in religious and racial harmony. 

"There is no reason for Laskar Jihad to be here. What we worry about most is that their presence may cause conflict between Papuan people - religious conflict, ethnic conflict, racial conflict," Thoha Al-Hamid, secretary-general of the Papuan Presidium Council (PDP), told CNN by telephone from the provincial capital of Jayapura. 

Police recently arrested Laskar Jihad 

members in Papua for carrying knives, 

slingshots and other related items

PDP is a leading pro-independence movement in Papua fighting for independence from Jakarta rule through dialogue. The resource-rich province is also home to Free Papua, an armed separatist group which has waged a low-level insurgency against the government for decades. 

Fighting without violence
Papuans have grown restive through the years, perceiving Jakarta as plundering their vast resources without heeding their basic needs and rights. Last year, the government gave the province special autonomy with greater wealth sharing in an effort to ease separatist tensions. 

Thoha said Laskar Jihad's presence had been rejected by Muslim leaders in Papua as well as other religious leaders. 

"They never once came to talk to me. I am Muslim. Even the local branch of the Indonesian Council of Ulemmas (Muslim leaders) reject them," said Thoha. 

"We may be fighting for independence from an unjust government but we never once have any conflict amongst the people. In Papua, not one mosque has ever been burnt, not one grass has ever been pulled from the front of a mosque," Thoha added. 

Laskar Jihad is blamed for worsening Muslim-Christian fighting in the eastern islands of Maluku which human rights groups say killed more than 10,000. They are also accused of being behind the escalation of sectarian violence in Poso regency in Central Sulawesi. 

Maluku and Poso have since calmed down after the government brokered two peace deals which were respectively signed by Muslims and Christians from the two areas. 

Jakarta's game
Thoha said Laskar Jihad had been distributing pamphlets and vcds depicting sectarian fighting in Maluku. The group has also been seen training people on combat skills in the villages. They are also known to possess a significant number of home-made weapons. 

Thoha accused the government and military of being behind Laskar Jihad's presence in Papua, saying they were set up as militias to fight the independence movement. 

"This is a game from Jakarta. Laskar Jihad is training people in the villages to fight pro-independence Papuans, regardless of whether they are Christians or Muslims. They are militias dressed in religious robes," said Thoha, adding that their activities intensified since the end of last year. 

Laskar Jihad denied the charges, saying they were involved purely in social and educational work. 

"We have no intention of doing anything to cause trouble. We are there to help empower the local people, whether they are Christians or Muslims. Our activities there consist mainly of Islamic studies and social work," Laskar Jihad spokesman, Ayip Syafruddin, told CNN. 

Syafruddin said a total of 200 members were in Papua and branches had been established in three regencies. 

Papua police chief Inspector-General Made Mangku Pastika said there were no signs Laskar Jihad was training people to fight the pro-independence movement. 

"From our monitoring, there are no signs of that," Pastika told CNN. 

Pastika said Christians were worried over Laskar Jihad's presence because the group had distributed bulletins about their activities in Maluku. 

"The Christians view that as an attempt to incite the people," said Pastika.