it's bieber's world (2.0), we just live in it
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Bill Moore
I don't what concerns me more, thousands of Justin Bieber fans in Indonesia, or Islamists in Indonesia? :D
I know, tough call. If it was thousands of Islamist Justin Bieber fans, then there might be real trouble...or something.
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Actually I think one feeds the other, and there are at least two movements that appear to be gaining traction in Indonesia. One is a movement towards the West. They want to incorporate some western business models and culture. Another movement is back towards fundamentalist Islam, and they'll employ extreme tactics in hopes of stopping the progression towards the West. I think the fact that there are thousands of Bieber fans simply makes the situation both more dangerous in the short run and perhaps more hopeful in the long run.
I agree with this. Thousands of Metallica fans can't be wrong...er, can they?
no rest for the wicked problem
More very naughty behaviour averted in Indonesia.
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JAKARTA - INDONESIAN police said on Thursday they had found six unexploded bombs similar to one detonated by a suicide bomber inside a police mosque last month.
National police spokesman Boy Rafli Amar said the improvised devices appeared to have been prepared for a wave of suicide attacks in the mainly Muslim archipelago of 240 million people.
'They planned to use the six pipe bombs for another terror attack like the one which was carried out by Syarif,' he told reporters, referring to the mosque bomber's name. Thirty people were wounded in that incident.
Indonesian Police Find Six Unexploded Bombs - Straits Times - May 5, 2011
(hat tip to The Interloper, ah, I mean The Interpreter :))
Prisons, radicalisation, vigilantes and bombs
A report released last week by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute found that Indonesian jails are an "incubator" of terrorist operations and recruitment, where extremists can preach, mingle freely with others (radicalisation), and have easy access to cell phones and other forms of communication:http://www.aspi.org.au/publications/...293&pubtype=10
The BB's summary:
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A new report has concluded that Indonesian prisons are incubators of terrorism where jailed jihadis form new links and even plan attacks.
The New York Times last week looked at the rise of Islamic "vigilante groups" in Indonesia, whose violence against minority sects and religions is often ignored by police:http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/20/wo...html?ref=world.
And Indonesian police alleged last week that the group said to be responsible for a deadly suicide attack on a police mosque last month was linked to the hardline cleric Abu Bakir Bashir and the group Jemaah Ansharut Tauhid:http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/home/...-bashir/441851
More sectarian violence in Indonesia
Got this from ICG...
http://www.crisisgroup.org/en/region...-in-ambon.aspx
Quote:
Indonesia: Trouble Again in Ambon
Clashes on 11 September between Muslims and Christians in Ambon, capital of Maluku province, and sporadic incidents thereafter raised fears of a return to the communal fighting that wracked the region from 1999 to 2002. This time, an extraordinary effort by grassroots “peace provocateurs” and local officials largely kept the violence from spreading further in Maluku. But the unrest triggered efforts by extremists elsewhere to manipulate communal tensions, apparently motivating the bombing of a church in Solo, Central Java on 25 September...
Small incidents, but with potential to flare up further. Relevant to regional terror issues as well. The decline in Islamist influence in Indonesia has been closely linked to the decline in outbreaks of sectarian violence. JI and similar groups there (as elsewhere in SE Asia) have had very little success with the global jihad message, or in rallying support behind issues in Afghanistan or the Middle East: the concern is overwhelmingly with local issues. They have, however, very successfully portrayed these sectarian outbreaks as oppression of Indonesian Muslims.
Hard to say whether this outbreak was orchestrated for this purpose (the date could be coincidence) or was simply a recurring flare-up, but it bears watching, as this sort of violence has a direct bearing on local support for and recruitment by extremist groups.
Indonesian police kill 5 terrorists
http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/...li-raid/505683
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Hariadi said that police suspected the group was plotting a robbery to finance a terrorism act. Police, the spokesman said, also confiscated firearms and several rounds of ammunition from both locations but declined to divulge further details. “All information will be revealed [on Monday morning],” he said.
Supports the trend of the growing convergence between criminality and terrorism, especially since other sources of funding for these clowns have been cut off by good police work. Admittedly terrorists have used crime since the beginning of crime to fund their activities, but the Islamist groups were fairly funded by wealthy donors from the Middle East in recent years, so hopefully this is a positive trend.
http://news.yahoo.com/indonesia-poli...004247418.html
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Two FN-45 rifles and masks were seized from the scene, Amar said. He said the men had been planning to rob a currency exchange, a jewelry shop and a cafe near Kuta and Jimbaran, two of the Bali beaches most popular with tourists.
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Amar said the suspects killed Sunday were allegedly part of a terror group wanted for a series of armed robberies in Medan, the capital city of North Sumatra province in 2010. Police are investigating whether the suspects were connected to Jemaah Islamiyah or another larger terror group.
Indonesia: Suspects planned attack on U.S. Embassy
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-...n-u.s-embassy/
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He said the suspects belonged to a new group called the Harakah Sunni for Indonesian Society, or HASMI.
"From evidence found at the scene, we believe that this group was well prepared for serious terror attacks," Alius said.
Sticking with the theme of trends, what we seem to be seeing in Indonesia is the result of effective security operations that forces an enduring threat to continuously morph into new terrorist cells and organizations. Defeat of the idea and the strategic logic of terrorism is no where in sight. The terrorists like most adversaries have a political objective that won't be countered by population centric operations that focus on economic development and the rule of law. It may be we just have to accept this as the new norm until their is (if there is) an evolution in their underlying ideology and political goals. I think that means our security forces (the US and all its partners) need to focus our main effort on intelligence and disruption from a security aspect. Individual governments will have to wage the political competition within in their own borders.
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Last month, police arrested 10 Islamist militants and seized a dozen homemade bombs from a group suspected of planning suicide attacks against security forces and plotting to blow up the Parliament building. The alleged bomb maker turned himself in to police while wearing an empty suicide vest.
Recent terror attacks in the country have been carried out by individuals or small groups and have targeted security forces and local "infidels" instead of Westerners, with less deadly results. The arrests announced Saturday appear to be the first in recent years to involve a group that allegedly planned to target foreign facilities.
Different groups experimenting with different approaches to achieve a common political objective.
Acceptable to the public enables CT?
An article by an Indian friend, on a quite different topic, has this aspect of countering terrorism CT:
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It recommends the present Indonesian model of policing, which could transform from a repressive paramilitary force into an acceptable civilian police department in 13 years and where an April 2007 Gallup Poll found 81% of the public having confidence in the reformed police.
Link:http://www.sunday-guardian.com/analy...india-pakistan
I have read that the Australian Federal Police (AFP) have played a role in supporting the reforms.
An active public: what terrorists hate
Rarely reported, but IMHO a good sign:
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A man threw a pipe bomb at the South Sulawesi governor while he was on a stage but the device packed with nails failed to explode, police said Monday after arresting the suspect and a second man. No one was injured...
The suspect, Awaluddin Nasir, 25, was beaten up by the crowd and arrested just after allegedly tossing the device.
Link:http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2...mb-attack.html
Starts well, then goes bizarre
A very short review by a Singapore think tank of recent developments:
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The recent killings of militants belonging to the so-called East Indonesia Mujahidin Commandos point not to the rise of a brand new militant network, but rather, yet another “mutation” of the old Darul Islam separatist movement or “super-organism.”
Link:http://www.rsis.edu.sg/publications/...SIS0082013.pdf
One does wonder how they reached this conclusion, first the apparent situation, followed by a frankly bizarre suggestion (edited citation):
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Finally, the Indonesian police must recognise that excessive use of force actually strengthens the hand of Santoso and his ilk. Granted, the police have suffered casualties themselves at the hands of the militants in recent years. Thus some police officers apparently maintain that “the best kind of deradicalisation is through killing (such) people”. Such an attitude however is counter-productive: worryingly, human rights observers complain that heavy-handed Densus 88 tactics are “driving militancy”.
Perhaps all police units should explore more systematically the calibrated use of so-called less-lethal weaponry, such as for instance acoustic and directed energy weapons, with Western assistance.
To understand terrorism, understand history
My title will be a familiar theme to SWC, the focus of a new book probably not - Indonesia, a key nation, partly due to its majority Muslim character.
This week the Australian think tank, the Lowy Institute launched a new book, The Roots of Terrorism in Indonesia: from Darul Islam to Jema'ah Islamiyah, by a leading authority on Islamic extremism in Indonesia, Solahudin:
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Based on a remarkable bredth of original material, Solahudin's book shows how the ideas and form of activism that lead to the Bali Bombings in 2002 have a long and complex history in Indonesia, stretching back to Darul Islam revolt in the 1940s. Solahudin argues that 'al Qaeda-style ideology has been present in Indonesia for decades, long before al Qaeda itself emerged in the 1980s.
There are a small number of links to reviews, a podcast etc on:http://www.lowyinterpreter.org/post/...Solahudin.aspx
In a longer Lowy comment 'Is the 'far enemy' off the agenda for Indonesian terrorists?' the author explains how terrorism has shifted to the 'near enemy', notably the police, from the 'far enemy', usually the Western presence. He refers to the impact since 2006 of a Jordanian theologian's writings - a new name for me, Muhammad Al Maqdisi and jihad tamkin. Ideology is in constant flux, so the target can change.
It ends with:
Quote:
Consequently, a key to understanding terrorism in Indonesia, including whether or not terrorists will again attack the far enemy, is to have knowledge of the local and international political situation and of ideological changes in terrorist circles.
Link:http://www.lowyinterpreter.org/post/...errorists.aspx
The book is not (yet) on Amazon, it is available from the Australian publisher:http://www.newsouthbooks.com.au/book...aah-islamiyah/
I placed this thread here instead of the Asia-Pacific forum as the book and comments apply far beyond Indonesia. There is a long running thread 'Mainly terrorism in Indonesia; catch all':http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/...read.php?t=737
Mainly terrorism in Indonesia: catch all
My title will be a familiar theme to SWC, the focus of a new book probably not - Indonesia, a key nation, partly due to its majority Muslim character.
This week the Australian think tank, the Lowy Institute launched a new book, The Roots of Terrorism in Indonesia: from Darul Islam to Jema'ah Islamiyah, by a leading authority on Islamic extremism in Indonesia, Solahudin:
Quote:
Based on a remarkable bredth of original material, Solahudin's book shows how the ideas and form of activism that lead to the Bali Bombings in 2002 have a long and complex history in Indonesia, stretching back to Darul Islam revolt in the 1940s. Solahudin argues that 'al Qaeda-style ideology has been present in Indonesia for decades, long before al Qaeda itself emerged in the 1980s.
There are a small number of links to reviews, a podcast etc on:http://www.lowyinterpreter.org/post/...Solahudin.aspx
In a longer Lowy comment 'Is the 'far enemy' off the agenda for Indonesian terrorists?' the author explains how terrorism has shifted to the 'near enemy', notably the police, from the 'far enemy', usually the Western presence. He refers to the impact since 2006 of a Jordanian theologian's writings - a new name for me, Muhammad Al Maqdisi and jihad tamkin. Ideology is in constant flux, so the target can change.
It ends with:
Quote:
Consequently, a key to understanding terrorism in Indonesia, including whether or not terrorists will again attack the far enemy, is to have knowledge of the local and international political situation and of ideological changes in terrorist circles.
Link:http://www.lowyinterpreter.org/post/...errorists.aspx
The book is not (yet) on Amazon, it is available from the Australian publisher:http://www.newsouthbooks.com.au/book...aah-islamiyah/
I placed this thread here instead of the Asia-Pacific forum as the book and comments apply far beyond Indonesia.
Soapbox (partially) averted.
First, I'm very excited this book was translated into English. Solahudin has a reputation for doing solid work, and I can't wait to get my hands on this.
Second:
Quote:
Indonesia, a key nation, partly due to its majority Muslim character.
Indonesia isn't just a Muslim majority. It is the world's most populous Muslim country, even beating out Pakistan. I think just under 13% of the world's Muslims live in Indonesia, yet only 83% or so of the population is Muslim. Let's sit and think about that for a second. They are the most populous Muslim nation on Earth, and while they're a majority, they have more religious diversity there than any other Muslim country. Pretty neat! Okay, enough of me geeking out.
Third:
David, you summed this up nicely.
Quote:
Ideology is in constant flux, so the target can change.
I think there is a tendency for people to look at a group, analyze them, and say "Okay. We know them." This is dead wrong. They change. Frequently. Much the same way grad students vie to study under a particular professor, so too, do they. They have conferences, publish, and talk about how to further their field. Furthermore, I know I'm preaching to the choir when I say it's dangerous to look at one of these groups and assume because we aren't on their list now, we won't be in the future.
Fourth:
I've spent a lot of time thinking about how the non-Arab Muslim world (aside from Iran and Pakistan) largely floats under the radar. This isn't good. Yes, it is important to know what is going on in the Middle East, but to focus on one area to the detriment of the others is short sighted. Case in point: Finding programs to study Arabic required some thinking and planning before 9/11. After that fateful day, they popped up everywhere. Arabic was the 'it' language. Outside of the government, do you know how hard it is to find Urdu? Hell, even Farsi is hard to come by.
Before I get on my soapbox, I'll stop myself and say it takes years to develop any sort of meaningful understanding these cultures. Do yourself a favor and pick a country in Africa or South Asia/Southeast Asia, and learn everything you can about it. If you want to pick a topic- extremism/religious violence, gender issues, development/reconstruction, globalization, whatever- wonderful. But pick a country.
Soapbox (partially) averted.
First, I'm very excited this book was translated into English. Solahudin has a reputation for doing solid work, and I can't wait to get my hands on this.
Second:
Quote:
Indonesia, a key nation, partly due to its majority Muslim character.
Indonesia isn't just a Muslim majority. It is the world's most populous Muslim country, even beating out Pakistan. I think just under 13% of the world's Muslims live in Indonesia, yet only 83% or so of the population is Muslim. Let's sit and think about that for a second. They are the most populous Muslim nation on Earth, and while they're a majority, they have more religious diversity there than any other Muslim country. Pretty neat! Okay, enough of me geeking out.
Third:
David, you summed this up nicely.
Quote:
Ideology is in constant flux, so the target can change.
I think there is a tendency for people to look at a group, analyze them, and say "Okay. We know them." This is dead wrong. They change. Frequently. Much the same way grad students vie to study under a particular professor, so too, do they. They have conferences, publish, and talk about how to further their field. Furthermore, I know I'm preaching to the choir when I say it's dangerous to look at one of these groups and assume because we aren't on their list now, we won't be in the future.
Fourth:
I've spent a lot of time thinking about how the non-Arab Muslim world (aside from Iran and Pakistan) largely floats under the radar. This isn't good. Yes, it is important to know what is going on in the Middle East, but to focus on one area to the detriment of the others is short sighted. Case in point: Finding programs to study Arabic required some thinking and planning before 9/11. After that fateful day, they popped up everywhere. Arabic was the 'it' language. Outside of the government, do you know how hard it is to find Urdu? Hell, even Farsi is hard to come by.
Before I get on my soapbox, I'll stop myself and say it takes years to develop any sort of meaningful understanding these cultures. Do yourself a favor and pick a country in Africa or South Asia/Southeast Asia, and learn everything you can about it. If you want to pick a topic- extremism/religious violence, gender issues, development/reconstruction, globalization, whatever- wonderful. But pick a country.
Breaking ISIS: Indonesia's Legal Position on the 'Foreign Terrorist Fighters' Threat
An Australian academic article, which although with a legal focus does provide a quick overview of the presence and activity of ISIS in Indonesia:http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.c...act_id=2627961
The Abstract:
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Indonesia, as signatory and co-sponsor of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2170, has committed to suppressing the flow of foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs), along with financing and other support, for Islamist extremist groups operating in Iraq and Syria – in particular the group known as the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS). Varying levels of support for ISIS have been observed in Indonesia, including displays of ISIS paraphernalia, support rallies, swearing of allegiance to the caliphate and an uncertain number of individuals travelling to the region to fight. Recognising the risk posed by support for ISIS and returning FTFs, the Indonesian government announced a 'ban' on the terrorist organisation in 2014. However, doubt remains with regard to the legal and practical enforcement of the 'ban' by Indonesian police and actions they are able to take against ISIS's Indonesian supporters. While there have been calls for the government to enact a new law or revise existing laws to specifically address ISIS and its supporters in Indonesia, it is uncertain if or when such a law could be finalised and passed. Accordingly, this article examines the legal position as it exists under current Indonesian law with respect to preventing and punishing supporters of ISIS.
Countering the (Re-) Production of Militancy in Indonesia: between Coercion and Persu
An article in the free online journal Perspectives on Terrorism 'Countering the (Re-) Production of Militancy in Indonesia: between Coercion and Persuasion' by Paul Carnegie.
The Abstract:
Quote:
In the early 2000s, Indonesia witnessed a proliferation of Islamist paramilitary groups and terror activity in the wake of Suharto’s downfall. Having said this, over the years since Suharto’s downfall, the dire threat predictions have largely failed to materialize at least strategically. This outcome raises some interesting questions about the ways in which Indonesian policy responded to the security threat posed by Islamist militancy. Drawing on Temby’s thesis about Darul Islam and Negara Islam Indonesia and combining this with Colombijn and Lindblad’s concept of ‘reservoirs of violence’, the following article argues that countering the conditioning factors underlying militancy and the legacy of different ‘imagined de-colonizations’ is critical for degrading militant threats (especially Islamist ones) in Indonesia. Persistent and excessive punitive action by the state is counter-productive in the long run. It runs too high a risk of antagonizing and further polarizing oppositional segments of the population. That in turn perpetuates a ‘ghettoized’ sense of enmity and alienation amongst them towards the state and wider society. By situating localized responses to the problem in historical context, the following underscores the importance of preventative persuasion measures for limiting the reproduction of militancy in Indonesia.
Link:http://www.terrorismanalysts.com/pt/...ticle/view/458
Archipelago Islam: Indonesia's way to counter extremism
An excellent BBC report on Indonesia the world's most populous Muslim nation, which includes how extremism is there knawing away:http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-35055487
A key passage:
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Archipelago Islam, or Islam Nusantara as it's known locally, was built over the centuries on Islam that arrived from several other parts of the world and was initially intertwined with Hinduism and ancient Javanese religions. In a large and diverse country stretching over 3,000 miles from east to west and composed of more than 17,000 islands, a less tolerant and inclusive interpretation of the Muslim faith may have struggled to survive. It came to be based on five principles - social justice; a just and civilised humanity; belief in one God; Indonesian unity; government by the will and consent of the people.
There is a main thread on Indonesia, mainly on terrorism:http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/...read.php?t=737
We're back - terror attack in Jakarta
A developing situation after a bomb and gun attack, possibly mobile. Six dead, including three police officers.
Rolling news coverage:http://www.theguardian.com/world/liv...rolling-report and http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-asia-35309116
Lessons to learn from Indonesia
Hat tip to Atlantic magazine for this article, which is a review of a book on far wider issues. So back to Indonesia:
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The big truth is that Indonesia has come close to effectively eliminating the threat of extremist violence
(He ends with) The big truth is that Indonesia has come close to effectively eliminating the threat of extremist violence,” Tepperman writes. An alternative truth is that Indonesia, through complicated and controversial means, has, for the moment, significantly reduced the threat of extremist violence from terrorists. It’s certainly an achievement, but it’s one that lies somewhere between a stopgap and a solution.
Link:http://www.theatlantic.com/internati...orism/500951/?
Extremists still flourishing in Indonesia’s prisons
A WaPo article and the theme is familiar to observers:
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Indonesia’s overcrowded prisons are ill-equipped to deal with Islamic militant inmates, hampering efforts to prevent the spread of violent radicalism in institutions that have become known as jihadist breeding grounds, a study has found.
Link:https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/study-extremists-still-flourishing-in-indonesias-prisons/2018/02/09/1cc7b94a-0d5d-11e8-998c-96deb18cca19_story.html?
Indonesia’s Homegrown Militants Re-emerge
A short overview article. A sample passage:
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The attack exposed the lingering threat from homegrown militants in a country that has largely avoided the scourge of Islamist terrorism since the collapse of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) in the late 2000s. In the years since, several newly-formed groups along with JI’s offshoots have remained active beneath the radar, posing only a latent threat to security in the world’s most populous Muslim nation.
Link:https://www.asiasentinel.com/society...nts-re-emerge/