Mainly terrorism in Indonesia: catch all

[Bill Moore]

I don't what concerns me more, thousands of Justin Bieber fans in Indonesia, or Islamists in Indonesia?

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.

[Backwards Observer]

I don't what concerns me more, thousands of Justin Bieber fans in Indonesia, or Islamists in Indonesia?

I know, tough call. If it was thousands of Islamist Justin Bieber fans, then there might be real trouble...or something.

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?

[Backwards Observer]

More very naughty behaviour averted in Indonesia.

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 )

[davidbfpo]

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:

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

[Backwards Observer]

[anecdote] A whiles back, I was slated for a business trip to Indonesia. I asked some of the old Asia types if it might be wise to get a cheaper watch owing to stories of people getting their hands chopped off in order to steal Rolexes and such. They said that one shouldn't believe every cock and bull story one hears, and besides where I was headed they'd probably chop off the hand, throw away the watch and keep the hand.

So, it is with mild disbelief one can read today a gender theory critique of Islam as it relates to terrorism published as an editorial in the Jakarta Post, also noting that none of the comments involve chopping. Peace be upon them.

Religious radicalism and the masculinization of God
Satrio Wahono, Jakarta | Mon, 10/24/2011

We apparently live in fear now that terrorist bombers are flourishing in the country. Less than a year after the suicide bombing of the police headquarters in Cirebon, West Java, we have again been shocked by similar acts of terror at Bethel Injil Sepenuh Church (GBIS) in Surakarta, Central Java, in late September.

This series of events inevitably leads us to the gloomy conclusion that the movement driven by radical religious doctrine has not disappeared in Indonesia. Such a doctrine believes that any means — including the use of violence — are justified to overthrow an order perceived as secular and corrupt. In exchange, followers of the doctrine aspire to establish an ideal order that they believe will be approved by God. Therefore, analyzing such a doctrine is important for us in an attempt to neutralize it.

Religious radicalism and the masculinization of God - Jakarta Post - Oct 24, 2011

[Bill Moore]

http://www.crisisgroup.org/en/region...n-cirebon.aspx

Anti-vice raids and actions against non-Muslim minorities are becoming a path to more violent jihadism in Indonesia. The 2011 suicide bombings of a police mosque in Cirebon, West Java and an evangelical church in Solo, Central Java were carried out by men who moved from using sticks and stones in the name of upholding morality and curbing “deviance” to using bombs and guns. They show how ideological and tactical lines within the radical community have blurred, meaning that counter-terrorism programs that operate on the assumption that “terrorists” are a clearly definable group distinguishable from hardline activists and religious vigilantes are bound to fail. They also mean that the government must develop a strategy, consistent with democratic values, for countering clerics who use no violence themselves but preach that it is permissible to shed the blood of infidels (kafir) or oppressors (thaghut), meaning government officials and particularly the police.

[Backwards Observer]

Allah willing, Indonesia may one day become an egalitarian society
Tom Allard, Sydney Morning Herald, Jan 30, 2012.

For a self-styled non-practising atheist, I was surprised to find one of the great pleasures of living in Jakarta was the call to prayer.

Like most homes in the city, mine was just 100 metres or so from the local mosque, a labyrinthine whitewashed building with a towering minaret where the muezzin sings praises to Allah five times a day.

Even at 4.30am, the smooth and melodious voice of Tata, the mosque's main singer, enchants, wafting across the warm tropical pre-dawn to herald the new day.

The chattering congregations for Friday prayers and the quiet meditations of business owners, workers and street vendors as they pause for the salat has endeared me to a faith that is too often maligned.

Most of all though, I have been impressed and inspired by the programs and projects run by worshippers to help the poor.

Allah willing, Indonesia may one day become an egalitarian society - Sydney Morning Herald - Jan 30, 2012