Last week I sent out
an email describing both an excellent BBC documentary and my own personal
experience as a presidential interpreter which reveal clear manipulations
and fear-mongering by groups within the power elite in regards to the war
on terror. The message is posted at https://www.WantToKnow.info/powerofnightmares
for those who might have missed it. Here I would like to share with you
more of my own experience, and the inspiring story of how this led to my becoming
a celebrity for a week after recently giving testimony in the most prominent
court case in Indonesia.
First and foremost, I have no doubt that it
is my openness to divine guidance which has brought these and so many
other unexpected miracles into my life. My deepest commitment for
my entire adult life has always been to what's best for all.
I continually
ask for divine guidance in choosing what's best for all as
I move through my life. I also surrender to God's will and fully
trust that I am continually guided to what's best for all. You can read the
inspiring story filled with little miracles of how this deep commitment
led to my becoming the top Indonesian interpreter at the US Department of
State by
clicking here.
For a brief background
to the story of my week as a celebrity, Indonesia is the fourth largest nation
in the world with a population of over 225 million. It is estimated that over
80% of Indonesians are Muslim, yet these warm people are known
for their tolerance and respect of other religions. When I lived there for
a full year with a wonderful Muslim family back in 1981, on Christmas day
I joined the whole family as they jumped into their car to visit and
pay respects to all of their Christian friends on this most important Christian
holiday. Almost all Indonesian Muslims follow this tradition, just as
Christians in Indonesia pay respects to their Muslim friends on
the most important Muslim Holiday Idul Fitri.
Before 9/11, most Indonesians liked and
supported both the American government and people. Whenever I visited Indonesia,
friends and new acquaintances there almost always spoke very positively
of the US. Immediately after 9/11 there was a huge outpouring of sympathy
from all of my Indonesian friends, who sent very kind emails expressing support
to our grief-stricken nation. When the US invaded Afghanistan, however, a
few there began to question US motives behind this attack. But it was during
the lead up to the war on Iraq and the following invasion that Indonesian
support of the US began to drastically change.
Many of you know that reporting on the war
in Iraq in the US was quite one-sided. The New York Times and Washington
Post even belatedly published official apologies for not reporting
significant news which questioned this war. European countries were more
balanced in their reporting, while Muslim countries generally were biased
against the US in their reporting on Iraq. Many Muslims felt
that through deciding to invade this predominantly Muslim nation without
the support of the UN, the US had clearly gone too far, especially when the claimed
reason for the attack turned out to be bogus. Indonesian Muslims, like
Muslims around the world, increasingly felt that their religion
was being targeted, as it was continually linked to terrorism.
Given this background, you can understand
why Indonesians were interested in my testimony in the highly
publicized case of Abu Bakar Basyir. In court, I testified to personally witnessing
heavy pressure by the US government put on Indonesian President
Megawati Soekarnoputri to secretly capture and turn Basyir over to US
authorities. Though US authorities have
repeatedly denied
ever putting any pressure on Jakarta to act against Ba'asyir (even after my
testimony), many Indonesians have believed all along that Basyir was being
scapegoated and falsely made out to be a terrorist in order to further
turn public opinion against Muslims.
Basyir is a fundamentalist Muslim who has spoken
out harshly against US and international intervention. He advocates incorporating
religious law into Indonesian government. He is something like a Jerry
Falwell or Pat Robertson in the US, fundamentalist Christians who speak out
against evil in governments around the world, and who want the US to be run
on religious principles. The vast majority of Indonesians do not agree
with Basyir's principles. He does not have a large following there. But they
do believe strongly in justice and democracy.
Few in Indonesia believe that Basyir is a terrorist,
or that he has advocated violence. The reason his case has become the
most highest publicized legal case in Indonesia is that most Indonesians suspect
the whole case is being manipulated by the US and powerful, international
elite groups. The team of lawyers representing Abu Bakar Basyir numbers close
to 100. Yet most of these attorneys are moderate Muslims, with a few even
from other religions. They are defending him pro bono--free of charge. They
do this not because they agree with his beliefs, but rather because
they see how international intervention has resulted in this
man being unfairly made out to
be an evil terrorist, based on evidence which does not hold up in
court.
And so it was that in court on January 13th,
in front of hundreds in the audience and dozens of reporters, I described
my experience as a US State Department interpreter at a
secret meeting in
the home of the Indonesian president Megawati Soekarnoputri. In this meeting,
I witnessed a personal envoy of President Bush, supported by US
ambassador to Indonesia Ralph Boyce and National Security Council expert Karen
Brooks, put heavy pressure on Megawati to secretly capture and turn over
Basyir. The reasons given were based solely on the testimony of Omar
Al-Faruq, a suspected terrorist who had previously been secretly
turned over to the US. President Megawati resisted the pressure, even
stating, "I hope this does not lead to a severing of the good relations
between the our two countries."
I had known that my testimony might make
the news, but I was stunned at the extensive coverage given. It was simply
miraculous! Walking out of the court room, I was surrounded by a sea of reporters
who wanted to know more. Most Indonesians had thought that Americans did
not like Muslims and supported the war on terror. One reporter asked: "As an
American, why are you supporting an Indonesian targeted by the US government?"
I responded, "Many Americans do not support the recent wars and
targeting of Muslims. As an American citizen, I am one of many who highly
value respect and cooperation among all peoples and countries."
Another reporter asked if I wasn't
betraying my country in revealing state secrets. I told them about the important
role of whistleblowers, people who reveal government manipulations which clearly
are not in the interests of the country or world.
I explained how whistleblowers
are seen as heroes, to be commended for their bravery in exposing corruption
in high places. I also told this eager audience about my work as
manager of the successful website
WantToKnow.info,
which provides reliable, verifiable information on major cover-ups of which
few people are aware.
They wanted to know what else I knew. I told
them about my deep commitment to what's best for all people, and how this
is what guides my life and all that I do. Asked about concern for my
own safety in revealing these sensitive secrets, I told them "I have very
little fear, because I trust that I am always guided by God to whatever
is best. I'm prepared even to die whenever it is my time, though I trust that
I am here to do some important work." It was miraculous to me to be able to
share how my own deep faith and commitment brought me to this place.
News of my testimony was broadcast on all of
Indonesia's major TV stations. National newspapers (and many international
papers) the next day carried articles on the American who exposed secrets
manipulations of his government. These articles generated even more interest
in both my testimony and what caused me to be willing to testify. And
so my remaining four days in Jakarta were filled with press interviews and
invitations to speak at important institutions. I ended up on prime-time
TV with one of the most respected news hosts in the country sharing my commitment
to help all peoples work together for the good of all. Another miracle!
I was invited to give a talk at one of the
country's most prestigious research institutions and several other respected
venues. The deputy chairman of the Indonesia's parliament stood up at one
of my talks to inform everyone that he had cleared his busy schedule
to come hear me speak, because he had heard that here was someone who was
speaking deep truths. Another miracle! He even half-seriously offered me political
asylum should I need it.
I helped this prominent politician and
many other influential Indonesians (and even a few foreigners) to see
that it is not that the American people and government are targeting Islam. It
is corrupt individuals within government and among the power elite who are
using fear to forward their
own selfish agendas, and who are manipulating public perception of
Islam. These elite groups are
profiting handsomely from the
wars waged.
Bringing the message even deeper, I invited
everyone to whom I talked to examine where each of us is pointing
the finger of blame at other groups or individuals without examining
our own involvement. I invited all to see how we are allowing ourselves
to become polarized. Christians and Jews are increasing led to be suspicious
of our Muslim brothers and sisters, while Muslims, in turn, are led to be
angry and suspicious of the US and its allies. I encouraged everyone to
remember that we are all doing our best, that we are all one human family,
and that we have the opportunity now to work together to break this vicious
cycle of fear and blame, and to build a brighter future for all
of us.
My father was a preacher, so you might notice
that some of his character rubbed off on me. I don't mean to preach to anyone,
but with all the national press attention, I was thrilled to have this
powerful opportunity to remind the people of an entire nation that
we are all beautiful people worthy of love, honor, and respect, and that we
can choose to work together for the good of all. I clearly felt God's presence
in providing me this miraculous opportunity to invite us all to join together
in working for the greater good.
And the response was tremendous! Numerous articles
were published daily on both my testimony and my talks. Calls poured in for
interviews and invitations to talk. In addition to the prime time TV appearance,
I was interviewed for an hour on one of the nation's most popular radio programs.
I had reporters with me almost everywhere I went. I was truly a celebrity
for a week. What a miracle! On my way home in the Jakarta airport, several
people recognized me and thanked me for all I had done. As I stepped up
to the currency exchange window to transfer my remaining rupiah into
dollars, the clerk took one look at me and said, "You're Fred Burks! Thank
you!"
It was very strange and completely unexpected
to become famous for one week. Given the choice, I would definitely rather
not be famous, because you can't go anywhere without people wanting to talk
with you. However, it was truly a lot of fun to have fame for just one week
in Indonesia. Now I'm glad to be back home, leading a much more anonymous
life again.
There are many other little miracles to this
led up to this story. Though my testimony was strong, it was made even stronger
by the testimony of two of Indonesia's most respected leaders. This
was Basyir's second trial. Two years earlier, he had been found innocent of
any terrorism charges, yet he was jailed for a year and a half (largely
in response to intense international pressure) on immigration violations.
When Basyir was due to be released, US Ambassador Ralph Boyce
separately approached two of the top religious leaders in the nation. He privately
pressured them use their influence to convince the Supreme Court and police
to keep Basyir in jail or rearrest him.
Basyir was, in fact, rearrested immediately
upon release, but one of these religious leaders testified on the same day
as my testimony to being pressured by Boyce. After our testimony, the other
well-known leader acknowledged that he, too, had been pressured by Ambassador
Boyce. So the continued denial by US authorities of any pressure in this
case was in direct contradiction not only to my testimony, but also to that
of prominent public leaders known and respected throughout Indonesia. Another
little miracle.
Then there is the story of how I ended up
coming to testify. When I first started talking openly about this secret
meeting
two months ago, I didn't even know that
Basyir was on trial for a second time. The reason I revealed this
information is that
I had recently resigned from the State Department largely because of excessive
new requirements for secrecy. As I had never taken a secrecy oath, I felt
no obligation to keep this information secret after my resignation, particularly
as what was being requested in this meeting was a violation of international
law. I mentioned the secret meeting to a reporter who was interested in writing
an article on my resignation. His
article in the Washington
Post included one paragraph about the Basyir meeting.
One of the main lawyers on Basyir's team,
a wonderful man named A.W. Wirawan, contacted me by email as a result of this
article. When Mr. Wirawan asked if I would come to Indonesia to
testify to what I had witnessed, I was surprised, but eventually agreed. As
I knew Basyir's attorneys were all working for free and would have
to pay for my visit out of their own pockets, I told Mr. Wirawan that I
would be willing to stay in someone's home to save them money. I should mention
that the lead lawyer on Basyir's team is one of the most famous and respected
lawyers in all of Indonesia, Adnan Buyung Nasution. He founded Indonesia's
Legal Aid Society and has defended a number of the most important court cases
in Indonesia's history.
The day after I sent the email offering to
stay in someone's home, I received an email from Mr. Wirawan informing
me that I would be staying in the home of the famous Mr. Nasution! Another
miracle! In my time there, Mr. Nasution, his wonderful wife, several members
of the legal team, and I had a wonderful time getting to know each other and
sharing inspiring stories and important information. They were so happy with
my testimony and all the press attention it drew that they threw a special
going away celebration for me on my last evening at Mr. Nasution's beautiful
home.
Besides inviting the legal team and several
prominent Indonesians to this celebration, Mr. Nasution decided to invite
Megawati. It was a long shot, but the legal team had thought getting
me to come testify was a long shot, too. Sure enough, (now former) President
Megawati gave us the great honor of coming to my going away celebration! Another
miracle!!! She had appreciated my interpreting and warm manner in the
several times I had worked with her. She also clearly supported my court testimony,
though she was reluctant to say so publicly.
Megawati and I ended up having a great
talk at this celebration. She even gave me the phone number of one of the
Americans at that secret meeting, her long-time personal friend Karen Brooks
of the National Security Council. Though I was never sworn to secrecy as an
interpreter, and therefore was not breaking any laws in revealing these secrets,
I had made a personal promise to Ms. Brooks over that phone not to reveal
the contents of this meeting. I wanted to apologize to her and explain my
reasoning for revealing this important information (she hasn't yet responded
to my calls and messages). So to have Ms. Megawati, the former president of
Indonesia, give me Ms. Brooks phone number helped me to clear the only regret
I had about the whole amazing week in Indonesia. What a wonderful way to end
a trip full of miracles!
I am extremely thankful to God and to all of
the people who helped to make my trip and testimony such a miraculous journey.
I know that every one of us is incredibly blessed.
I know that the more
any of us open to divine guidance and to doing what's best for all, the
more likely blessings and miracles will flow in our lives. I invite us
all to open our hearts and work together to
build a brighter future for all
good people on our beautiful planet.
With much love and warm wishes for what's best for you and
for all,
Fred Burks
P.S. For those who would like more, below are a number of interesting links:
Here are of few of the articles in English about my recent testimony:
For those wanting more on the incredible BBC
documentary Power of Nightmares:
For a few inspirational pieces I've written: