Jemaah Islamiyah Explained

Jemaah Islamiyah
Active:1993–2024[1]
Leader:
Area:Southeast Asia
Ideology:Islamism
Islamic fundamentalism
Pan-Islamism
Salafism
Wahhabism
Anti-Australian sentiment[5]
Anti-Christian sentiment
Size:6,000[6] (2021)
Allies:
Opponents: Non-state opponents
Attacks:Philippine consulate bombing in Jakarta
Jakarta Stock Exchange bombing
Christmas Eve 2000 Indonesia bombings
2002 Bali bombings
2003 Marriott Hotel bombing
2004 Jakarta embassy bombing
2005 Bali bombings
2005 Indonesian beheadings of Christian girls
2009 Jakarta bombings
2024 Ulu Tiram police station attack (alleged)
Designated As Terror Group By:

United States
Argentina
Australia
Bahrain
Canada
Indonesia
Japan[8]
Malaysia
New Zealand

Jemaah Islamiyah (Arabic: الجماعة الإسلامية, al-Jamāʿah al-Islāmiyyah, meaning "Islamic Congregation", frequently abbreviated JI)[9] was a Southeast Asian Islamist militant group based in Indonesia, which was dedicated to the establishment of an Islamic state in Southeast Asia.[10] [11] On 25 October 2002, immediately following the JI-perpetrated 2002 Bali bombings, JI was added to the UN Security Council Resolution 1267.

JI was a transnational organization with cells in Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines.[12] In addition to Al-Qaeda, the group is also alleged to have links to the Moro Islamic Liberation Front[12] and Jamaah Ansharut Tauhid, a splinter cell of the JI which was formed by Abu Bakar Baasyir on 27 July 2008. The group has been designated as a terrorist group by the United Nations, Australia, Canada, China, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States.[13] It remained very active in Indonesia where it publicly maintained a website .[14] [15]

In October 2021, Director of Identification and Socialization, Detachment 88 Muhammad Sodiq said that 876 members of Jamaah Islamiyah had been arrested and sentenced in Indonesia.[16]

On 16 November 2021, Indonesian National Police launched a crackdown operation, which revealed that the group operated in disguise as a political party, Indonesian People's Da'wah Party. The revelation shocked many people, as it was the first time in Indonesia that a terrorist organization disguised itself as a political party and attempted to intervene and participate in the Indonesian political system.[17]

History

JI has its roots in Darul Islam (DI, meaning "House of Islam"), a radical Islamist/anti-colonialist movement in Indonesia in the 1940s.[18]

The JI was established as a loose confederation of several Islamic groups. Sometimes around 1969, three men, Abu Bakar Bashir, Abdullah Sungkar and Shahrul Nizam 'PD' began an operation to propagate the Darul Islam movement, a conservative strain of Islam.

Bashir and Sungkar were both imprisoned by the New Order administration of Indonesian president Suharto as part of a crackdown on radical groups such as Komando Jihad, that were perceived to undermine the government's control over the Indonesian population. The two leaders spent several years in prison. After release, Bashir and his followers moved to Malaysia in 1982. They recruited people from Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines. The group officially named itself Jemaah Islamiyah around that time period.

JI was formally founded on 1 January 1993, by JI leaders, Abu Bakar Bashir and Abdullah Sungkar[19] while hiding in Malaysia from the persecution of the Suharto government.[20] After the fall of the Suharto regime in 1998, both men returned to Indonesia[21] where JI gained a terrorist edge when one of its founders, the late Abdullah Sungkar, established contact with Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network.[22]

JI's violent operations began during the communal conflicts in Maluku and Poso.[23] It shifted its attention to targeting U.S. and Western interests in Indonesia and the wider Southeast Asian region[24] since the start of the U.S.-led war on terror. JI's terror plans in Southeast Asia were exposed when its plot to set off several bombs in Singapore was foiled by the local authorities.

In 2004, Abu Bakar Bashir created the Indonesian Mujahedeen Council to connect Islamist groups, including JI, in Indonesia.[25]

Recruiting, training, indoctrination, financial, and operational links between the JI and other militant groups,[26] such as Al-Qaeda, the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), the Misuari Renegade/Breakaway Group (MRG/MBG) and the Philippine Rajah Sulaiman movement (RSM) have existed for many years.

Bashir became the spiritual leader of the group while Hambali became the military leader. Unlike the Al-Mau'nah group, Jemaah Islamiyah kept a low profile in Malaysia and their existence was publicized only after the 2002 Bali bombings. It is suspected by some to be linked to Al-Qaeda or the Taliban.[27]

Designation as a terrorist group

Jemaah Islamiyah has been designated a terrorist group by the following countries and international organizations:

2002 Bali bombings

Prior to the first Bali bombings on 12 October 2002, there was underestimation to the threat Jemaah Islamiyah posed.[33] After this attack, the U.S. State Department designated Jemaah Islamiyah as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.[34]

Other terrorist attacks

In 2003, Indonesian police confirmed the existence of "Mantiqe-IV"  the JI regional cell which covered Irian Jaya and Australia. Indonesian police said Muklas has identified Mantiqe IV's leader as Abdul Rahim—an Indonesian-born Australian.[35] Jemaah Islamiyah is also strongly suspected of carrying out the 2003 JW Marriott hotel bombing, the 2004 Australian embassy bombing,[36] the 2005 Bali bombings and the 2009 JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton hotel bombings.[37] The Bali and JW Marriott attacks showed that JI did not rule out attacking the same target more than once. The JI also has been directly and indirectly involved in dozens of bombings in the southern Philippines, usually in league with the ASG.[38] [39]

However, most of Jemaah Islamiyah prominent figures such as Hambali, Abu Dujana, Azahari Husin, Noordin Top and Dulmatin have either been captured or killed, mostly by Indonesian anti-terrorist squad, Detachment 88.[40] [41] While several of its former leaders, including Malaysian Islamic extremist and Afghanistan War veteran Nasir Abbas, have renounced violence and even assisted the Indonesian and Malaysian governments in the war on terrorism. Nasir Abbas was Noordin Top's former trainer.[38]

Indonesian investigators revealed the JI's establishment of a hit squad in April 2007, which was established to target top leaders who oppose the group's objectives, as well as other officials, including police officers, government prosecutors and judges handling terrorism-related cases.[42]

In April 2008, the South Jakarta District Court declared JI an illegal organisation when sentencing former leader Zarkasih and military commander Abu Dujana to 15 years on terrorism charges.[43]

In 2010, Indonesian authorities cracked down on the Jemaah Islamiyah network in Aceh. Between February and May 2010, more than 60 militants were captured.[44] This Aceh network was established by Dulmatin sometime after 2007 when he returned to Indonesia.[45]

Naming

The name Jemaah Islamiyah roughly translates to "Islamic Community" in English and is abbreviated as "JI". To counter the recruitment efforts by the group, Islamic scholars in Indonesia and the Philippines who are critical of the group suggested it be called Jemaah Munafiq (JM) instead, translated as "Hypocrites' Community".[46]

Timeline

2000s

2010s

2020s

Dissolution

On 30 June 2024, key members of the terror group Jemaah Islamiyah in Indonesia dissolved the organization in a video declaration made at the National Counter Terrorism Agency in Bogor, near Jakarta. Abu Rusdan, a militant cleric and former JI leader arrested in Bekasi in September 2021, said that JI’s senior council and the leaders of the group’s affiliated Islamic boarding schools “have agreed to declare the dissolution of the JI and return to Indonesia’s embrace”. Abu Rusdan made the statement alongside other key figures, including Para Wijayanto, one of the most wanted terrorists in Southeast Asia who was arrested in 2019 for recruiting militants and raising funds for Syria.[85] [1] [86] [87] [88]

See also

Notes and references

References

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Southeast Asian militant group Jemaah Islamiyah to be disbanded, say its senior leaders. 4 July 2024. 2024-07-04. Reuters.
  2. News: Para Wijayanto terlama pimpin Jamaah Islamiyah, berikut nama orang-orang yang pernah jadi Amir JI . Antara News Sumatera Barat .
  3. David Martin Jones, Sacred Violence: Political Religion in a Secular Age, Palgrave Macmillan, 2014.
  4. Zachary Abuza, Political Islam and Violence in Indonesia, Routledge, 2006.
  5. Web site: JI claims responsibility for blast: Report. 10 September 2004.
  6. Web site: BNPT: Jumlah Anggota dan Simpatisan Organisasi Teroris Capai 17.000 Orang .
  7. Book: Terrorism, Inc.: The Financing of Terrorism, Insurgency, and Irregular Warfare . 978-1-4408-3104-1 . Clarke . Colin P. . June 2015 . Bloomsbury Publishing USA .
  8. Web site: Implementation of the Measures including the Freezing of Assets against Terrorists and the Like. 5 July 2002. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. 21 November 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130406134416/http://www.mofa.go.jp/announce/announce/2002/7/0705.html. 6 April 2013. live.
  9. Web site: Jemaah Islamiyah (JI). Zalman. Amy. About.com. 2008-08-01. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120216030807/http://terrorism.about.com/od/groupsleader1/p/Jemaah_Islamiya.htm. 16 February 2012. dmy-all.
  10. Counter-Society to Counter-State: Jemaah Islamiah According to Pupji, p. 11., Elena Pavlova, The Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies, https://web.archive.org/web/20070614232627/http://www.ntu.edu.sg/rsis/publications/WorkingPapers/WP117.pdf
  11. JI is also believed to be linked to the insurgent violence in southern Thailand. "Conspiracy of Silence: Who is Behind the Escalating Insurgency in Southern Thailand?"
  12. Web site: UCDP Conflict Encyclopedia, Indonesia . Ucdp.uu.se . 2013-04-30.
  13. Web site: Janes, Jamaah Ansharut Tauhid (JAT) (Indonesia), GROUPS – ASIA – ACTIVE . Articles.janes.com . 2013-04-30.
  14. Web site: Jamaah Ansharut Tauhid website, accessed January 17, 2013 . Ansharuttauhid.com . 2013-04-30 . 31 March 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220331233713/http://ansharuttauhid.com/ . dead.
  15. Web site: MOFA: Implementation of the Measures including the Freezing of Assets against Terrorists and the Like . 2013-11-21 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130406134416/http://www.mofa.go.jp/announce/announce/2002/7/0705.html . 2013-04-06 . live .
  16. Web site: Densus 88 Klaim Jamaah Islamiyah Mulai Melemah .
  17. Web site: Dirgantara. Adhyasta. 2021-11-16. Polri Sebut Farid Okbah Bentuk Partai Dakwah sebagai Solusi Lindungi JI. 2021-11-16. detiknews. id-ID.
  18. Web site: Rommel C. Banlaoi. Jemaah Islamiyah Briefer: Evolution, Organization and Ideology. 23 January 2011.
  19. https://web.archive.org/web/20071221123311/http://www.cpt-mi.org/pdf_secure.php?pdffilename=Jemaah%20Islamiyah%20Dossierv5 Jemaah Islamiyah Dossier, Blake Mobley, 2006-08-26, Center For Policing Terrorism
  20. Web site: Genealogies of Islamic Radicalism in post-Suharto Indonesia, Martin van Bruinessen, ISIM and Utrecht University . https://web.archive.org/web/20021228170302/http://www.let.uu.nl/~Martin.vanBruinessen/personal/publications/genealogies_islamic_radicalism.htm . dead . 28 December 2002 . Let.uu.nl . 2013-04-30 .
  21. http://www.jamestown.org/terrorism/news/article.php?issue_id=3307 Gauging Jemaah Islamiyah's Threat in Southeast Asia, Sharif Shuja, 2005-04-21, The Jamestown Foundation, Terrorism Monitor, Volume 3, Issue 8
  22. Web site: borrull.org - borrull Resources and Information.. https://web.archive.org/web/20090123232901/http://www.borrull.org/e/noticia.php?id=20024. dead. 23 January 2009. ww16.borrull.org.
  23. Web site: Weakening Indonesia's Mujahidin Networks: Lessons from Maluku and Poso, 2005-10-13, International Crisis Group, Asia Report N°103. https://web.archive.org/web/20090806123419/http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=3751&l=1. dead. 6 August 2009.
  24. Web site: Rommel C. Banlaoi. Jemaah Islamiyah Briefer: Terrorist Activities, Targets and Victims. 25 January 2011 .
  25. Web site: Mujahidin Indonesia Timur (MIT) Terrorist Groups TRAC. www.trackingterrorism.org. 2016-01-27.
  26. Web site: Rommel C. Banlaoi. Jemaah Islamiyah Briefer: Links with Foreign Terrorist Organizations. 24 January 2011.
  27. Web site: UN Press Release SC/7548 .
  28. Web site: Listed terrorist organisations. 2014-11-10. 24 December 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181224211729/https://www.nationalsecurity.gov.au/Listedterroristorganisations/Pages/default.aspx. dead.
  29. Web site: Currently listed entities . Publicsafety.gc.ca. 2014-11-10.
  30. Terrorism Act 2000 . Terrorism Act 2000 . 2000-07-20 . c. 11, sched. 2 . Proscribed Organisations . UK Public General Acts . http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/11/schedule/2 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130121085241/http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/11/schedule/2 . 2013-01-21 . live.
  31. Web site: The List established and maintained by the 1267/1989 Committee . 2015-10-14 . United Nations Security Council Committee 1267 . UN.org . 2015-10-24 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160102090856/https://www.un.org/sc/suborg/sites/www.un.org.sc.suborg/files/1267.htm . 2 January 2016 .
  32. Web site: Foreign Terrorist Organizations. 2012-09-28 . State.gov . 2014-08-21.
  33. http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2002/09/20/1032054962681.html Singapore facts stranger than fiction
  34. https://2009-2017.state.gov/j/ct/rls/crt/2011/195553.htm#ji Country Reports on Terrorism 2011
  35. http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/content/2003/transcripts/s780910.htm The Bali Confessions
  36. Web site: Australian embassy bomb kills nine. Oliver. Mark. Jeffery. Simon. 2004-09-09. the Guardian. en. 2018-06-27.
  37. News: The 12 October 2002 Bali bombing plot. 2012-10-11. BBC News. 2018-06-27. en-GB.
  38. News: Meet The Former Mujahideen Behind Indonesia's Fight Against Terrorism. 2017-05-05. Vice. 2018-06-27. en-id.
  39. Web site: Authorities move to stop JI resurgence. philstar.com. 2018-06-27.
  40. Book: Narendra, D. S.. Teror Bom Jamaah Islamiyah. 2015-06-29. Pionir Ebook. id.
  41. Web site: Noordin Top dipastikan tewas. BBC News Indonesia. February 2010. id. 2018-06-27.
  42. News: . 16 April 2007 . JI forms new shoot-to-kill hit squad in Indonesia .
  43. News: JI declared an illegal network . The Sydney Morning Herald . 22 April 2008.
  44. https://web.archive.org/web/20100517055127/http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/SEAsia/Story/STIStory_526403.html Terror suspects nabbed
  45. https://web.archive.org/web/20100423130309/http://www.crisisgroup.org/en/regions/asia/south-east-asia/indonesia/189-indonesia-jihadi-surprise-in-aceh.aspx Indonesia: Jihadi Surprise in Aceh
  46. News: Aben. Elena. Call them 'Daesh' not ISIS or ISIL, says AFP. https://web.archive.org/web/20160513204708/http://www.mb.com.ph/call-them-daesh-not-isis-or-isil-says-afp/. dead. 13 May 2016. 14 April 2016. Manila Bulletin. 16 January 2016.
  47. News: Roundup. A. WSJ com News. 2000-08-02. Indonesia Car Bomb Kills Two, Injures Philippine Ambassador. en-US. Wall Street Journal. 2021-05-14. 0099-9660.
  48. Web site: TIMELINE: Terrorist attacks in Indonesia. 2021-05-14. Rappler. 14 January 2016. en.
  49. News: 2000-09-14. 15 Reported Killed by Bomb at Jakarta Stock Exchange. en-US. The New York Times. 2021-05-14. 0362-4331.
  50. Web site: Six Things You Should Know About ISD’s Operation Against JI in Singapore . 2024-05-20 . Ministry of Home Affairs . en.
  51. Web site: CNN.com - Operative details al Qaeda's Asian expansion - September 17, 2002. 2021-05-14. edition.cnn.com.
  52. News: Street Journal. Timothy MapesStaff Reporter of The Wall. 2002-09-20. Indonesia Is Urged To Rein In Radical. en-US. Wall Street Journal. 2021-05-14. 0099-9660.
  53. News: Clifford. Bill. Blast near U.S. embassy site in Jakarta. 2021-05-14. MarketWatch. EN-US.
  54. Web site: More Attacks In Afghanistan. 2021-05-14. www.cbsnews.com. 18 November 2002 . en-US.
  55. Web site: 2007. LIVES DESTROYED - Attacks Against Civilians in the Philippines. https://web.archive.org/web/20090114064558/http://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/philippines_lives_destroyed.pdf . 2009-01-14 . live. 2021-05-14.
  56. Web site: Indonesian cleric freed from jail. 2021-05-14. www.aljazeera.com. en.
  57. Web site: 2003-09-23. Brother of Top Asian Terrorist Held. 2021-05-21. Los Angeles Times. en-US.
  58. Web site: British Muslim is jailed for al-Qa'eda embassy bomb plot. https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/australia/1463455/British-Muslim-is-jailed-for-al-Qaeda-embassy-bomb-plot.html . 12 January 2022 . subscription . live. 2021-05-21. www.telegraph.co.uk. 2 June 2004 .
  59. Web site: hermesauto. 2016-01-14. Timeline of previous bomb attacks in Indonesia. 2021-05-21. The Straits Times. en.
  60. Web site: 2005-11-09. Azahari 'dead after police raid'. 2021-05-21. The Sydney Morning Herald. en.
  61. Web site: Jemaah Islamiyah. www.tititudorancea.net. 2016-12-08.
  62. News: 2007-06-13. Indonesia captures most-wanted Islamic militant. en. Reuters. 2021-05-25.
  63. News: Indonesia Captures "Emir" of Regional Terrorist Network . Monsters & Critics . 15 June 2007 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070617170600/http://news.monstersandcritics.com/asiapacific/news/article_1317980.php/Indonesia_captures_%26quotEmir%26quot_of_regional_terrorist_network__Roundup_ . 17 June 2007 . dmy-all .
  64. News: Channel NewsAsia . 27 February 2008 . JI detainee Mas Selamat bin Kastari escapes from Singapore detention centre . dead . https://archive.today/20080307191435/http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/331477/1/.html . 7 March 2008 . dmy-all .
  65. News: Fox News . 17 July 2009 . Blasts at Luxury Hotels in Jakarta Kill 8, Injure 50 . 24 January 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090718155135/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,533424,00.html . 18 July 2009 . dead . dmy-all .
  66. Web site: Police: Indonesia terror chief killed in raid. 2021-05-25. NBC News. 17 September 2009 . en.
  67. Web site: 2009-09-18. Terrorist Noordin Top confirmed dead. 2021-05-25. The Sydney Morning Herald. en.
  68. Web site: Profile: Jemaah Islamiah . BBC. BBC. 2 February 2012.
  69. News: 2012-02-02. Philippine military 'kills three wanted militants'. en-GB. BBC News. 2021-05-25.
  70. Web site: Three militant leaders killed in Philippines. 2021-05-25. www.scotsman.com. 3 February 2012 . en.
  71. Web site: 2012-12-15. Philippine Agents Kill Suspected Malaysian Terrorist in Davao. 2021-05-25. www.bloomberg.com.
  72. News: ABS-CBN News . 26 February 2014 . Abandoned motorbike sparks bomb scare in CDO .
  73. News: ABS-CBN News . 27 June 2014 . PNoy alerts Duterte on potential terror threat .
  74. Web site: Blast at southern Philippine city hall wounds 6. https://web.archive.org/web/20141012090730/http://news.yahoo.com/blast-southern-philippine-city-hall-wounds-6-140807528.html. dead. 12 October 2014. 16 September 2014. Yahoo News. 13 November 2014.
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  77. Web site: TERBARU Densus 88 Bekuk Pemimpin Jamaah Islamiah dan 4 Kaki Tangannya. 2020-12-21. Warta Kota. id-ID.
  78. Web site: Police track funding of Jamaah Islamiyah terror group. The Jakarta Post. 2019-10-06.
  79. Web site: With funding from palm oil and schools, Indonesia's terror group Jemaah Islamiah set for resurgence in Malaysia, Singapore. Yahoo News. 8 July 2019 . 2019-10-06.
  80. Web site: Media. Kompas Cyber. Sosok Upik Lawanga Tokoh JI yang Sehari-hari Jualan Bebek, Disebut "Profesor" karena Ahli Membuat Bom Halaman all. 2020-12-21. KOMPAS.com. 20 December 2020. id.
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  84. Web site: Serangan Balai Polis Ulu Tiram: Suspek ahli Jemaah Islamiyah, serangan telah dirancang - KPN (In Malay).
  85. Web site: Indonesia’s JI terror group declares dissolution, but security threat remains, say analysts . The Straits Times . 3 July 2024 . 4 July 2024.
  86. Web site: Jemaah Islamiah militant group behind 2002 Bali bombings be disbanded . South China Morning Post . 4 July 2024 . 4 July 2024.
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