Islamic Radicalism in Indonesia

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Islamic Radicalism in IndonesiaMinhal Saba Khan

Sarah Schneider


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Outline

1. Do we need an outline? ;)

2. Who decides if a person or group is radical? Who is a

radical?


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Moluccas: about 4000 dead from 1999 to 2000 and

thousands of refugees

Bali: terror attack with 202 dead in 2002


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Emergence of violent Muslim groups and inter-religiousconflicts are quite new phenomena in Indonesia

Before there was a more or less peaceful relationship betweendifferent ethnic groups

This violent and confused maelstrom that Indonesia hadplunged into and the boiling over of Islamist fever in acountry long reputed for its religious tolerance left the

majority of observers perplexed. (p. 52)

What happened?


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1. The Struggle for Recognition of Political Islam

2. Influence of International Islam

3. The Fall of the Soeharto Regime


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1.The Struggle for Recognition of Political Islam

two major Muslim political movements inIndonesia:

Masyumi and Darul Islam

both aimed at creating an Islamic state


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Masyumi: created as an umbrella organization for Muslim organizations in

1945

leading political party, comparable to European democratic parties,reformist movement

had been in opposition to Sukarno, took part in an CIA supportedrebellion against him, members were imprisoned and party banned

after the takeover of Soeharto members were released from prison,but party was not allowed to take a political role again

split into two groups



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1. DDII: missionary efforts, turn Muslims into better believers,believe in the superiority of western style democracy but at thesame time they see Christian missionary as a threat to Islam,over time the DDII became much more radical and believed in

a conspiracy of Christians

2. Second group became part ofSoehartos party Golkar and gaveup opposition

The depoliticization caused a turn to Islamic thoughts andopened up people close to Masyumi to ideas of the MuslimBrotherhood



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Darul Islam: formed out of Muslim Militias and other rebellious movements in 1942,

state should be based on sharia

Major leaders were killed in the 1960s but the network was neverdestroyed

parts of the network had close relations to intelligence services, whichused DI as a secret weapon against communism

The extremist group Komando Jihad was closely linked to DI

Many members of DI took refuge in Malaysia, from where hundredsor thousands travelled to Pakistan or Afghanistan to receive guerillatrainings and engage in jihad



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Policy of Soeharto to play down any opposition

contributed to the clandestine radicalization of Muslim groups

The climax ofSoehartos policy of depoliticizing Islam reachedits climax in the mid-1980s, when all parties and associationswere de facto forced to renounce on Islam as their foundation

This led to resistance and radicalization, radical Muslim students wentunderground



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Marginalization of political Islam had the effect of exposingIndonesia to the international networks of militant Islam, especially

Wahhabi-inspired networks, known as Salafism, organizedgrowing networks and discussion circles, had been mobilizedwhen the conflicts on the Moluccos broke out

Muslim Brotherhood

promotion of anti-west attitudes

training of hundreds of militants abroad who hoped to transformIndonesia into a new ground for jihad

2. Influence of International Islam


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Empowering of Islam within the New Order

in the late 1980s Soeharto adopted a friendlier attitude towards politicalIslam and established an association of Muslim intellectuals ICMI

-> more participation of political and radical Islam

neither of the two major Muslim organizations of Indonesia wasrepresented there but other more radical groups -> which pushed thegovernment into an alliance with the most radical Islamic movements

regime got more and more desperate and cooperated with severalradical Muslim groups as last sort of support -> they were playing withfire

the opening of Soeharto towards political Islam was only carried out ina mode of exploitation



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Conflicts within the military institution

the military was very powerful under Soeharto (military / political/economical power)

in the last years of the New Order struggle for influential posts within thearmy grew harder and some army officers made alliances with radicalIslamist groups, those took the opportunity for more power thankfully

fight for power between two fractions: secular Muslims vs. reformistMuslims

stoking ethnic tensions by calling up for an action against the enemies ofIslam, indirect intervention in the Moluccas

power struggles between rival elite factions caused inter-ethnic and inter-religoius violence



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Economic, social and political crisis

the last years ofSoehartos rule were marked by a economic crisis(Asian monetary crisis) and social crisis (called SARA: ethnic, religiousand racial confrontations)

financial crisis lays the ground for anti-western and anti-Christianpropaganda, nine million unemployed -> is a group which can be easilyinfluenced by radicals

two communities were the mayor victims of the social tensions:Christians and Indonesians of Chinese descent



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Indonesians of Chinese descent constitute around 4 % of the population but hold a strong economic dominance

in the country

group has been blamed to be responsible for the recent financial crisis, anti-

Chinese propaganda was spread by radical Islamist groups

anti-Chinese riotsbroke out with rapes and hundreds of dead people and thearmy did not intervene

Christians at the beginning the New Order only six official religions were allowed in

Indonesia, especially local beliefs were excluded, as a consequence a movementof conversations occurred, most converted to Islam, a minority to Christianity

in the 1970s and 80s more and more converted to Christianity, that stoked anobsessive fear of Christianization within the Muslim community



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transmigration tension

another factor for the social tensions

transmigration policy allowed people to migrate within Indonesia,more that 5.5 million did so

this policy destroyed the fragile ethnic, religious, economic andsocial balances

in several regions majorities turned into minorities and thepreviously dominant community were threatened

example: southern Moluccas, minority Muslim community becamea majority in the region



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This inter-ethnic and inter-religious violence

was influenced by the army officers who intervened and even stokedthe tensions in the struggle for power

mobilized a vast part of the Muslim community in Indonesia andsupported the radicalization of moderate Muslim

was godsend for the radicals and therefore an important steptowards radicalization of Islam in Indonesia



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After Soehartos fall

there was opened a political space that had been closed to politicalIslam for decades

a period of possibilities for radical Islam started and numerousmilitias were created, some with influential friends within the innercircle of power

high military officers allied themselves with radical Muslims out ofpolitical opportunism

creation of political Islamic parties was not longer restricted andmore than hundred parties were formed



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Salafism

Wahhabi propaganda in the 1970s due to arab andSouth Asian influence in the country.

Education religion Monetary influence

An conservative group, who want to practice Islamin its pure form as it was originally.

Non-Saudi Wahhabis referred to as Salafi Literalist, strict, puritanical As a reaction to the spread of European ideas


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The radical movements young militants and students

Many more networks were formed out of the DI and Masyumi

Method of the militants

Preaching, predication, dakwah (dawa) Many small movements Battles for imamate

Youth movements started by the Masyumi became active, building

pesantrens, expanding isolated communities

Progression ofdawa

DI wanting islamisation from top in comparison to DDIIadvocating islamisation from below.


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Usrob and Tarbiyah clandestine networks and special training.

A niqib (leader) selected people would go for special trainings and live withinthat community. A perfect family for a perfect society to create a perfect caliphate again

Radicalisation as result of banned political activities. Mosques as the soleplace for socialization transformation of the Indonesian campuses.

An ex member of one of the networks said that se never felt that she wasmilitating for islam. Worked more like a sect. investigation in bandung in march 2000 showed that movement characterised

secrecy and control The NII encouraged members to cut off from family

Meeting of usroh took place in the homes and only the leader could contactthe rest.

BPMI created to systemize Islamic teaching in schools


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Two reasons for the change: ties with DI and fighting for islamistinternational struggle.

Reletively peaceful movemnt became violent towards other faiths Fighting against the soviets

In the 70s, propagation with aid of Saudis, and islamic radicalists inpakistan and afganistan, the archipelago gained considerable power

Use of identity politics against minorities

War on terror

sayyaf camps Faith, fraternity and military force


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Reinterpretation of Indonesian History

Failure to censor earlier publications by Arab writers from beingtranslated and distributed In 1998 under president Habibie al censorship abolished

Fighting the demons in human form

Until 1970s conspiracy themes were not widespread PersatuanIslam never became as hostile as later groups.

1945 independence, signing the Jakarta Charter to representsecular nationalists. Constitution accepted dominance of Islam but without any mention

of it. Compromise respecting minorities was not really addressed nor was

it a pressing issue of the time. Not the Christian but atheist Marxism was seen as the bigger threat.


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Reinterpretation

Christian parties were loyal allies of the Masyumi until it was banned in 1960

Leaders of religious-political parties were hunted and felt betrayed by theSoeharto regime. Regimes mistrust of political Islam turned them into pariahs. The international conspiracy against Indonesian Islam

Search for the legitimacy of jihad due to increasing pressure and influenceof the US in Asian politics.

Women and the Indonesian Islamic movements limitation on women inIndonesian society which largely ignores the separation of sexes

Lack of cooperation within moderate Muslim leaders infidels in theirfaith

democracy as a product of imperialism agenda to over take by theinfidels

The west copies Islamic methods of consultation, justice and a sense ofresponsibility from Adam to Aristotle is the basis of Islams superiority.


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Contradictions of the Indonesian Homo Islamicus

Opinions differ from the votes given

The country treats radicals who have strayed into politics harshly yet is notindifferent to the themes they develop.

Pancasila, tolerant and open Islam, endorsing a Muslim identity withoutmaking Islam the sole basis of their political action

A marked chasm appears since 1999 separating identity based Islam fromproject based Islam. (NU, Muhammadiya vs. PBB, PK, PPP)

50 out of 87% chose to vote for a party without links to Islam

2004 election: only 38% votes for parties representing Islam.

Remarkable case of Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) fighting for anticorruption themes while toning down calls for implementation of Islam.

Proposed to replace the Jakarta Charter with a new concept of the MedinaCharter, where each religion could apply its own law.


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Continued

June 2009 elections were also a bitter disappointment for parties representing Islam

Total 9of these received 29% votes altogether.

Dissent and loss of credibility

Sympathizers of NU and Muhammadiya re-engaged in politics.

Pols from 2001 to 2007 show a picture of the Muslim community that is verydifferent from the political evolution.

Progressive changes in the Islamisation of Indonesian Law In the first two decades debates on Islamic law were taboo

Since 1989 the country has developed its laws on polygamy, inheritance, a civil code forreligious communities, zakat, established Islamic banks and abolished lottery,educational reforms (teachers had to be same religion as the students), anti-pornographylaw.

Main victims of the break up of Muslim representation NU and Muhammadiya There are further branches of these groups, some moderate, others rigorous in their

beliefs and methods. In many areas it was the triumph of the conservative group.

The NU respect of sharia, but did not want to impose if on all. He warned against risksof radical Islam. But even within this group a study in 2008 revealed the advances of theconservative group.


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Conclusion

Compromises Indonesian Islam at odds with a purifying reformism

Condemnations were based necessities of adopting to the new world

Propelled by a new urban elite sweeping away the vestiges of Islam led astray bysuperstitions from another age

The strengthening of Indonesian army due to alliance with technocrats taking on acondescending attitude towards reformist Islam.

Dawa to spread Islam without control and organization leading to a hotbed of new intolerance

Preventing political Islam which lead to extremist Islam the international situation.

Radicalization of Islam in Indonesia due to its own political failure

Opposing the foreign West but not the Foreign sources of inspiration of their radicalization

Since the economic crises, Muslim conservatism has somewhat eclipsed radicalism butIslamic liberalism once known in Indonesia has a hard time renewing the open minded ness ofthe indonesian population in matters of religion

Documents

Islamic Radicalism in Indonesia