Crime and Justice International Magazine - Sam Houston State University

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Terrorism

Southeast Asia: Jemaah Islamiyah

by J. B. Hill

The Southeastern Asian militant Islamist organization, Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), is the most dangerous terrorist group in the region. With roots in the Darul Islam movement in Indonesia begun in the 1950s, Abdullah Sungkar and Abu Bakar Bashir established JI as part of a struggle to create an Islamic Caliphate throughout Indonesia. While the movement has roots going back decades, JI came into its own during the period of the Afghan Jihad in the late 1980s, as the group sent many members to join in the fight against the Soviet Union.

In Afghanistan, JI established links with the burgeoning al Qaeda movement, led by the then mostly unknown Osama bin Laden. Upon the end of the Jihad, the groups maintained and improved their ties, with al Qaeda providing operational support to JI. Personnel cooperation between the two groups, notably in the person of Hambali (though he is just one example) has led to a close working relationship. In 2000, JI conducted its first major attack with the assistance and support of al Qaeda in a series of bombings on Christmas Eve, killing 18 and wounding many others. In 2002, on the anniversary of the USS Cole attack in Yemen, al Qaeda provided the funding necessary to carry out the most destructive bombings in Indonesian history, now known as the Bali Bombings. The attack involved coordinated bombings inside and outside a popular night club, ensuring many of the fleeing patrons would be killed. In addition, there was a small bombing outside the U.S. Consulate coordinated to detonate at nearly the same time, causing only minor damage. All told, the attack killed 202 people and wounded 209.

Several key figures, including Hambali, were captured in the aftermath of the Bali Bombings but the JI has proved itself able to quickly and efficiently replace leaders after their capture or death. Those who have escaped have found safe-havens in the region with other terrorist groups such as the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). In addition, JI’s leadership is affiliated with many of the Islamic schools in Indonesia, known as pesantrens, providing them ample recruits for the organization. One school in particular, the Pondok Ngruki pesantren, is widely acknowledged as a recruitment ground for JI and the school maintains close ties with JI’s founder, Abu Bakar Bashir. Despite this, and because many of the schools maintain relationships with above-ground organizations such as the Majlis Mujahideen Indonesia (MMI), they are unable to be closed by the government of Indonesia.

While the extent of the JI network remains unknown, one thing is clear: The JI remain, and will remain for the foreseeable future, one of the greatest threats to stability and peace in Indonesia, and potentially the entire region. Despite the damage done to the organization by the Indonesian police in response to the Bali Bombings, it is widely believed that the group maintains the capability to conduct large-scale attacks in Indonesia, and provide support to attacks internationally.