Sidney Jones on Jemaah Islamiyah

Sidney Jones speaks on Jemaah Islamiyah.

The well-known commentator on Indonesian extremist groups, Sidney Jones, the project director for the International Crisis Group in Jakarta, gave a speech some time back in Singapore at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies on “New Developments within Jemaah Islamiyah”, the terrrorist group behind various bombings in Bali and Jakarta. A video of her speech can be …

Nasir Abas on Jamaah Islamiyah

… Indonesia with Nasir Abas, a former member of the south-east Asia terrorist group, JI, Jamaah Islamiyah. The translation is from CMMI, awful, I tried to clean it up a bit.

Could you describe how Jamaah Islamiyah came into being?

Jamaah Islamiyah was established in 1993, it began with the falling out between Abdullah Sungkar and Ajengan Masduki. At the time, they asked me to choose one leader, Abdullah Sungkar or Ajengan Masduki. I was in Peshawar, Pakistan at the time. I …

Al-Qiyadah Al-Islamiyah

… On 4th October the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) issued a fatwa against the "Al-Qiyadah Al-Islamiyah" sect, which is led by Ahmad Moshaddeq, real name Salam.

MUI Chairman, Ma'ruf Amin said the sect had grown rapidly since 2000 and that since July 23rd 2007 Ahmad Moshaddeq had been claiming to be a prophet after he spent 40 days and nights in meditation at Mount Bunder, Bogor, West Java.

The MUI spent 3 months studying the group before finally deciding that it was heretical, and …

Comment by Cukurungan: … of Qiyadah Al Islamiyah. At this time agree with …

Jamiyatul Islamiyah

… Ulama Indonesia (MUI), and the mob, to close down a mosque used by the heretics of the Jamiyatul Islamiyah.

The mosque, Masjid "Baitul Izza", in Jl. Proklamasi, South Padang, belonging to the Jamiyatul Islamiyah (JmI) sect, was sealed by a mob as the mayor of the city Fauzi Bahar, and the police, looked on with approval. Mayor Fauzi, who had just previously cancelled the building permit for the land on which the mosque stood, claimed that the land was only authorised to be used as a …

Barack Hussein Obama Mania!

Indonesia can't get enough of the news that Barack Obama has won the US election.

Some of the reactions to Barack Hussein Obama's election to the US presidency:

Screaming Children

250 students at Obama's former school (SDN 01 Menteng) in Jakarta, shouted with glee:

Obama wins! McCain loses!

while watching television coverage of the results. Here they are:

…

Comment by Andy: … the membership of Jemaah Islamiyah in Indonesia. Now …

Atheist Threat

Young atheists on the internet, and eradicating atheism and communism in Indonesia.

Governor of North Sumatra, Syamsul Arifin , said on 8th October at an occasion marking Pancasila Day that all elements of the nation must continually fight against and eradicate atheist beliefs among the people.

Atheism, which seeks to erase Pancasila and which once threatened the nation in the guise …

Comment by Aluang Anak Bayang: … such as FPI and Jemaah Islamiyah. The Vice President …

Muslim Schools

Islamic boarding schools are under increasing pressure from radical elements, says Syamsir Siregar.

Continuing a recent talkative streak state intelligence boss (Badan Intelijen Negara, BIN) Syamsir Siregar said on 29th August that Islamic boarding schools, or pesantren, were highly susceptible to being infiltrated or taken over by radicals, people who would ruin the image of Islam …

Comment by Andy: … the existence of Jemaah Islamiyah. It is a real threat …

Islam vs Liberal Democracy

Perseus on Francis Fukuyama and whether Islamism will derail Indonesia's new democracy.

In a recent article, writing in reaction to Russia's recent "clobbering" of Georgia, the noted American political theorist Francis Fukuyama, best known for his work The End of History , tells us smh that

US dominance is slipping.

and the

Russian and Chinese model of authoritarianism …

Comment by Purba Negoro: … Sukarno so Daurl Islamiyah would not create civil war by …

FPI Murder Incitement Video

Video of "firebrand" FPI/Front Pembela Islam preacher Ahmad Sobri Lubis advocating murder.

The speech about the Ahmadiyah sect given by Ahmad Sobri Lubis to a gathering of the Islam Defenders' Front/Front Pembela Islam (FPI) in which he makes several incitements to murder.

…

Comment by Big White Infidel: … that there is no Jemaah Islamiyah, etc. shows that …

Bashir on Martyrs & Maggots

Some of Abu Bakar Bashir's village musings have Australians upset.

An Australian student, Nathan Franklin, who is researching Islamic boarding schools in East Java, is said to have filmed a speech/sermon given by Abu Bakar Bashir on October 22nd 2007, in which the cleric rails against "infidel" tourists in Indonesia.

Toothy.

The story is all over the Australian media, and to a …

Comment by dewaratugedeanom: … Spiritual Head of Jemaah Islamiyah or not is irrelevant …

Ancaman Terorisme

Permasalahan Jemaah Islamiyah sebagai organisasi teroris dan keadaan sementara di Sulawesi Tengah.

Al Jamaah Al Islamiyah

Nasir Abbas, bekas anggota Al Jamaah Al Islamiyah (JI) yang sekarang menjadi informan polisi, memberi kesaksian di sidang Abu Dujana pada tanggal 21 Januari di Jakarta. Ia berujar bahwa JI tidak pernah mengajar anggotanya untuk melakukan kekerasan atau terorisme, lebih-lebih …

Terror Threat

Whether Jemaah Islamiyah is a terrorist organisation, and the current situation in Central Sulawesi.

JI

Nasir Abbas, former Al Jamaah Al Islamiyah (JI) leader turned police informer, gave testimony at the trial of Abu Dujana in Jakarta on 21st January and said that JI had never taught its members to commit acts of random violence, or terrorism, and especially not murder.

Any terrorist …

Persecuted Church

Why there are so many attacks on churches in western Java.

Persecuted Churches Nationally

On 14th January members of the Himpunan Warga Gereja Indonesia (HAGAI), Indonesian Churchgoers Association, visited the offices of the National Human Rights Commission, (Komnas HAM) in Jakarta to complain about attacks against churches and Christian congregations around the country.

Pastor …

Soft Islamization

The experts say soft Islam is sweeping the country, not hard Islam.

In a similar vein to Time's " Vespa Girls " story of 2007 the Economist says Indonesia is a place where "Where 'soft Islam' is on the march" economist The story begins:

Is Indonesia, the most populous Muslim-majority country, undergoing creeping Islamisation?

Some examples of Islamic extremism, such as …

Pelarangan Sekte-sekte Islam

… sekte-sekte Islam seperti Ahmadiyah.

Setelah melarang beredarnya sekte Al-Qidayah Al-Islamiyah baru-baru ini, beberapa pihak masyarakat tengah berupaya agar Ahmadiyah, aliran Islam lain yang telah lama didirikan, untuk mendapat perlakuan yang sama.

Dilarangnya Ahmadiyah

Para pemerintah atau lembaga-lembaganya saat ini sedang menimbang pelarangan atas aliran Ahmadiyah, bersama dengan kegiatan, kitab dan ajaran-ajarannya. Ahmadiyah dibangun di Punjab, India, pada tanggal …

Letter to the President

… cogent and strong strategy to win. It must be one that resonates from Aceh to Zbolo (don't ask me where it is).

I wish you success.

Comment by iamisaid: … Bakar Bashir of Jemaah Islamiyah to send out some of …

South Sulawesi Election

… Committee to Uphold Islamic Law ) in Makassar, South Sulawesi, and has has been the head of the Jemaah Islamiyah affiliated Hidayatullah pesantren in Makassar, a branch of the main Hidayatullah pesantren in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, although he has never been accused of committing any crimes. polarhome

Individualism

… anti-social and individualist, allowing terrorists to hide easily.

On the recent arrests of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) leaders Zarkarsih and Abu Dujana ( Yusron Mahmudi/Ainul Bahri ) the chairman of the Magelang parliament in Central Java, Achmad Labib (PKB, dprd-magelangkab ), complains that the modern tendency towards individualism is the reason why terrorists are able to hide and evade capture for so long.

People are becoming individualistic, they don't want to know about the …

Bekasi Communism

The re-emergence of communism in Bekasi.

Not only Bogor , Jakarta , Bandung , and Aceh but also Bekasi in West Java are feared by some to be under threat from a communist resurgence. So it appears from the words of parliament (MPR) chairman Hidayat Nurwahid on 13th June to a meeting of the Bekasi office of the Forum Kerukunan Umat Beragama (FKUB), the body charged with ensuring …

Comment by Teta: FBR, FPI, MMI and Jemaah Islamiyah is a bigger threat to …

Terrrorist Kidnapping

… says the recent arrests of five men in Central Java who are believed to be part of Abu Dujana 's Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist cell, were likely not carried out by Densus 88, the anti-terror police, but by armed civilian groups who kidnapped the men.

Wev'e already done an investigation, based on testimony by the families of the men as well as eye-witnesses the arrests were not done according to police procedure.

Police procedure, he said, was:

They should show an arrest warrant …

Anti Islam Website

An anti Islam website run by a Christian political party.

Dozens of people from the "Forum Remaja Islam" (FRI), Islamic Youth Forum, descended on the offices of the Partai Damai Sejahtera (PDS), Prosperous Peace Party, on 11th May in Solo, Central Java, to complain about the existence of a PDS website which insulted Islam, specifically by casting aspersions on the character of Muhammad …

Comment by Andy: … think like you, Jemaah Islamiyah would no longer exist …

Tamsil Linrung

… Sulawesi, and has in the past been accused of being a member of Islamic terror groups such as Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), and militant groups such as Laskar Jundullah.

He was once arrested, along with two other men, his brother-in-law Agus Dwikarna and Abdul Jamal Balfas, by Philippines police at Manila airport in 2002 for attempted smuggling of a small amount of C4 explosives, detonating cords, and blasting caps, and is believed connected with the Preparatory Committee for the …

Abu Dujana

… Marriott attack in Jakarta, which killed twelve people. He is thought to be a senior leader of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI). He was born in Cianjur, West Java, in 1968 and is sometimes called Ainul Bahri. He trained at the Mujahidin Military Academy in Afghanistan. tempo

In recent times the capture of Abu Dujana has become the Indonesian police's top priority. homelandsecurity

Abu Dujana was not among the group of men police attempted to arrest. Badan Intelijen Negara (BIN) …

Security Forces

… be old but is nevertheless startling, not least that understated paragraph where he states that Jemaah Islamiyah in Poso not only has a military wing (the terrorists currently being hunted) but also a political wing. This, he says

has been fighting alongside certain hard-line groups, mass organisations, and individual politicians, in the executive, legislative and judicial bodies.

In other words, sections of the local establishment are tied in with the murder gangs!

The foreign …

Downer on Islam

… to Downer, a perversion of the tenets of Islam. ajn

The terrorists [such as al Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiyah] pervert the tenets of Islam using extreme religious interpretations to justify tactics like killing innocent civilians and suicide bombing.

While their ideology is "dogmatic, intolerant and violent", and devoted to the creation of totalitarian regimes, it is drawn:

selectively from the writings of Islamists like the Egyptian militant Sayyid Qutb ignoring the …

Howard, Iraq, & JI

… in Indonesia. Why does he [Labor leader Kim Beazley] want to give a propaganda boost to JI [Jemaah Islamiyah] in Indonesia?

Meanwhile the former Australian ambassador to Indonesia, Sir Richard Woolcott, without directly referring to Indonesia, responded thus to Mr Howard's words:

The Iraq war has been a disaster and has substantially increased the terrorist threat Mr Howard said it would reduce.

However he said that any sudden withdrawal would cause chaos, instead …

Freedom of Religion Report

… during the period covered by this report. On October 1, 2005, three suicide bombers from the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) terror group killed twenty-two persons and injured more than one hundred in the tourist areas of Kuta and Jimbaran in Bali. [ Bali Bombings, 7th July.] The death penalty trials of suspects Mohamad Cholili (alias Yahya), Abdul Aziz, (alias Jafar), Dwi Widianto (alias Wiwid), and Anif Solchanudin (alias Pendek) were ongoing at the end of this reporting period. [ Abdul Aziz, …

Mediati Hafni Hanum

Gubernatorial candidates in Aceh must be able to recite the Koran. One candidate, Mediati Hafni Hanum, failed the test.

While Sidney Jones says the elections in Aceh, due to be held on December 11th, will not threaten peace in the province, they may threaten Indonesia's credibility in the eyes of the world. Mediati Hafni Hanum, the only female candidate for governor, said that …

Abdul Azis

… concluded that the bombings were carried out by the al-Qaeda-linked regional extremist network Jemaah Islamiyah, which has been blamed by many governments in the region for a spate of attacks in past years. Aziz told the court he was not sure whether he would appeal the sentence.

Sept. 7th

After having considered the matter for two days Azis has decided not to appeal his conviction or sentence. His lawyer, Zulfikar Ramli, said that his client felt guilty and fully accepted his …

www.Anshar.net & Chatroom Jihad

… of working as a computer hacker for the rather active Semarang, Central Java, branch of the Jemaah Islamiyah, JI, led by Noordin M. Top, and is also a member of the Forum Kajian Islam Semarang.

The two men, as can be gleaned from police Cyber Crime Unit head Petrus Reinhard's description, have rather a lot of aliases:

The first man is Mohammad Agung Prabowo alias Max Fiderman alias Ahmad alias Agung alias Kalingga alias Bebekbebekan alias Maxhazer and the second man is Agung …

Radicalising of Indonesian Muslims

… targets that symbolise the West.

He said he feared that young men would be drawn to JI, Jemaah Islamiyah.

The anger bubbling up could make the recruitment easier.

However Ken Conboy, who is the author of " The Second Front: Inside Asia's most dangerous terrorist network ", played down the likely numbers that would be involved:

I do not believe that the current events will lead to a massive JI recruitment. JI only recruits a few at the time. If they did differently, it …

Hambali

… considered as having been Southeast Asia's most dangerous terrorist but as the link-man between Jemaah Islamiyah and al-Qaida until his capture in August 2003. He is also believed to have been involved in planning the September 11, 2001, attacks in the US and the bombing of the USS Cole in Yemen in October 2000. Earlier this year, Bush named him as one of the figures behind a 2002 plot to fly a plane into California's tallest building.

Biography

Hambali was born in West Java in …

Religious Freedom Report

… violence. Extremist groups, including members of Mujahadin Kompak (MK), a militant offshoot of Jemaah Islamiyah, are known to operate in Central and South Sulawesi. These militant groups were frequently responsible for attacks on religious minorities and for instigating mob actions to restrict religious activities. It is widely believed that concerted government efforts to reduce the activities and influence of militant groups would do much to improve religious freedom conditions in …

Jabir, alias Gempur Budi Prakoso

… al Mukmin Islamic boarding school at Ngruki, is a cousin of the famed Faturrahman al-Ghozi, the Jemaah Islamiyah operative killed in the Philippines in 2003. He is known to have stayed with Azhari and learned from him until 5 July 2004 and later became an important member of Noordin's inner circle, reportedly helping recruit the Bali II suicide bombers.

A day after Saturday's predawn raid on the house, the counterterrorist squad, Detachment 88, found a high-explosive backpack bomb almost …

Indonesia Counterterrorism Report

… violent Islamic radicals and extremist organizations, including the regional terrorist network Jemaah Islamiya (JI) and its associates, remain a serious security threat to both Western and domestic targets in Indonesia. These networks launched several terrorist attacks using connections often based on radical school ties and shared training experiences in Afghanistan, the southern Philippines, and Indonesia's Muslim-Christian violence in the former conflict areas of Maluku and central …

JI Strategy & Tactics

Jemaah Islamiyah, JI, is believed to have a two-pronged strategy in its war in Indonesia, that is, it seeks to attack western interests, as well as stoke the fires of sectarian conflict among Indonesians.

Foreign Interests

A report by Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper in Japan of April 17 contended that last year Noordin Mohammed Top, one of JI's leaders, instructed his subordinates to …

Terrorist Training Camps

… informatics and developmental response.

He strongly advised that "spiritual" leader of the Jemaah Islamiyah, JI, Abu Bakar Bashir, not be released from prison in June.

Everything must be done to make sure that he is not released.

he was quoted by Reuters as saying ( hat tip to Kerry Collison).

He also recommended that JI be banned.

JI has gained very significant strength because it is now working with so many other groups in Indonesia. The Indonesian government must be …

Abdul Rasyid alias Hamdan

A suspected member or former member of the Islamic terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah was arrested on the island of Sumbawa.

Abdul Rasyid, usually known as Hamdan, a Singaporean national, was picked up on suscipicion of immigration violations in the village of Tongo on Tuesday, on Sumbawa, which is to the east of Bali. Later the police realised they had made some catch.

Hamdan is believed to be an associate of Malaysian terrorist Noordin Muhammad Top …

Mahatir on Islamic Terrorism

… Indonesia to promote Islamic unity in the world Mahatir was questioned on the activities of the Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist group formerly led by the slain Dr Azahari.

He said it was difficult to know if the group was definitely still active in Indonesia since it was an underground movement. Malaysia, he said, would hunt them down if they returned from Indonesia (many of the top JI operatives are Malaysian nationals).

It's really easy for that group to conceal themselves in Indonesia …

Blacklisting of JI Men

The assets of four men associated with the Jamaah Islamiyah terrorist group have been frozen by the United States Treasury department and the four have formally been blacklisted.

Those blacklisted are Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, Gun Gun Rusman Gunawan, Taufik Rifki, and Abdullah Anshori. "Blacklisting", in the circumstances, entails that United States citizens are forbidden to engage in any financial dealings with the men.

Jamaah Islamiyah is …

Two Terrorists Arrrested

… 88, arrested Ahmad Basir for allegedly harbouring Noordin M. Top and the late Azahari Husin in Jemaah Islamiyah safe houses. He could also be charged with arranging for another man, Kholili, a suspect in detention for the 2005 Bali bombings, to attend military-style training in the central Javanese city of Solo, a notorious hotbed of Islamic radicalism.

Also arrested was Ahmad Arif Hermansyah, who taken into custody a day after Basir's arrest. He is suspected of supplying Noordin's …

Heightened Alert For Java

… months.

It has been known for a while that the Muslim terrorist group, formerly part of the Jemaah Islamiyah network, in the past had made some abortive plans to attack a Roman Catholic high school in the south-eastern suburbs of the city of Surabaya in East Java province, as well as the Jewish synagogue in central Surabaya, but this time the police commander refused to say exactly where the attacks were expected to come.

Tanzim Qaedat-al Jihad

… the Tanzim Qaedat-al Jihad.

As we looked at in Sidney Jones's views on the structure of jemaah islamiyah, it appears there is some split in the organisation between those who want to continue the bombing campaign, and those who believe it harms the overall goal of the group, the establishment of an Islamic state in Indonesia and possibly in neighbouring countries. Noordin's claim to be the leader of this new group, in English called "Organization for the Basis of Jihad", or …

Terrorism in Sulawesi & Ambon

Origins of terrorism in Sulawesi and Ambon.

It is widely believed that some or a large part of the violence inflicted by militant Muslim groups in Indonesia is done so with the connivance or active support of elements of the military. In a response to a question on this topic terror expert Sidney Jones says:

Certain local NGOs (non-government organizations) sometimes assert that …

Jihad Recruiter Arrested

… called Abu Mujahid, a member of the unusually active Semarang, northern central Java wing of the Jemaah Islamiyah in Indonesia, was arrested yesterday while traveling on a bus in the town of Boyolali in central Java. He admitted to the police that his main function was in the recruitment area.

When he was arrested he was carrying a bag containing books, a sharp weapon, VCDs and a tape recorder. Mujahid is believed to be an associate of the Malaysian national Noordin M. Top. His arrest …

Enceng Kurnia, Ahmad Rofiq Ridho, Purnama Putra

… Ahmad Rofiq Ridho, and Purnama Putra.

The “bombing faction” of the Indonesian wing of Jemaah Islamiyah, the south-east Asian Muslim radical group, continues to suffer setbacks and is likely gravely weaker in its position compared to just a few months ago. Another member went on trial today, Enceng Kurnia, accused of the “crime of terrorism by illegally possessing firearms and ammunition” between April and September 2004.
Enceng is said to have supplied four Chinese-made …

War on Poverty

Politicians waging war on poverty via billboards, and bus riding buskers in Jakarta.

A campaign billboard for General Wiranto:

"Poverty Must Be Ended", says General Wiranto, and "I swear to devote the rest of my life to improving the welfare of the Indonesian people".

On a similar theme:

"The People Must Not Be Allowed to Suffer", says somebody from the police faction, and …

Comment by Purba Negoro: … elected Jema’ah Islamiyah types into power and we all …

Wahidin Halim, Tangerang

… to hear, but they remain statements, not deeds, and deeds are what count when democracy is under threat.

Comment by Purba Negoro: … party is a Darul Islamiyah lite. Nasution realised this, …

Beach Parties & Riding Pillion

Religious leaders in Aceh worry about what young people are getting up to before, during, and probably after, Ramadan.

Beach Parties

In late August leader of the Himpunan Ulama Dayah Aceh (HUDA), Tgk Faisal Aly, said he was very worried about the popular pre-Ramadan tradition of visiting the beach and other sites of interest, called minggu abeh .

He said it was a custom in Aceh, …

Comment by Purba Negoro: … to the hated Darul Islamiyah started the GAM movement. …

Death Row Inmates & Debate

… and Co., should surely be sufficiently upset by the abominations committed in their name by Jamaah Islamiyah and be anxious to see those pigs put down asap. It is a tad unconvincing that the occasion of religious ritual should be offered as a potential cop-out, the executions possibly dragged out for further long weeks.

Of maybe more significance, therefore, was the JP’s inclusion of a comment by SBY’s office that the President was bound by the law and could not intervene unless a …

SKB Ahmadiyah

A police chief explains about the SKB edict against Ahmadiyah and under what terms arrests will be made.

On June 9th the ministerial edict against the Ahmadiyah sect was finally issued. Depending on whose interpretation is accepted it is either or both a "warning" and an "order" that the Jemaat Ahmadiyah Indonesia (JAI) cease its activities, or at least those activities which are deemed …

Comment by ache: … position in Islamiyah aqidah clear downwards …

Insiden Monas, FPI & AKKBB

Video tindak kekerasan Front Pembela Islam saat parade kebebasan beragama di Jakarta, dan tanggapan Presiden Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Video pemberitaan serangan Front Pembela Islam (FPI) terhadap Aliansi Kebangsaan Kebebasan Beragama dan Berkeyakinan (AKKBB) yang berkumpul di Silang Monas, Jakarta menandai peringatan hari Kesaktian Pancasila tanggal 1 Juni. Sekitar 200 orang anggota FPI …

Comment by M. Sejuki: … dan “UKHUWAH ISLAMIYAH YANG SOLID” Jika ketiga …

FPI - Laskar Kafir, dikuasai Mossad

Keterangan mengenai kekerasan FPI di Monas, menyalahkan korban, pemerintah dan persekongkolan asing.

Pimpinan Tim Pengacara Muslim (TPM), Mahendradatta, mengatakan bahwa insiden Monas terjadi karena pihak AKKBB dengan sengaja memprovokasi dengan melontarkan kata-kata seperti

FPI Laskar Kafir dan Laskar Setan

Provokasi lainnya termasuk fakta bahwa parade AKKBB ilegal, tanpa ijin …

Comment by uhum: … SEMANGAT UKHUWAH ISLAMIYAH KITA BISA KEMBALI BANGKIT DAN …

Impatient People

Impatient people in West Java province who can't wait for the banning of the Ahmadiyah sect.

Today the government's joint edict on whether to ban Ahmadiyah is expected, while some in the last few days have been rather impatient for it.

West Java

Police general Abu Bakar said on 21st April that West Java (see West Java's Tolerance Problem and Persecuted Churches for more on …

Comment by Purba Negoro: … charge? Jema’ah Islamiyah returns from its’ rat-hole …

Ahmadiyah (Nearly) Banned

… (unorthodox) religious activity in Indonesia, has recommended that all activities of the sect Jemaah Ahmadiyah Indonesia (JAI) be stopped and the JAI dissolved.

Wisnu Subroto of the Attorney General's office says the decision is final, no negotiations will be entered into, and was taken because Ahmadiyah is genuinely beyond the pale, - heretical because it recognises another prophet after Muhammad, - and because Ahmadiyah had violated a previous agreement (see Ahmadiyya ) to "correct" …

Religious Cults & Religious Freedoms

Pressure on the government to enact special laws against religious cults, blasphemy trials in Jambi, and the United Nations showing interest.

Laws
On March 7th at the Islamic Book Fair in Jakarta Kholil Ridwan of the Clerics' Council (Majelis Ulama Indonesia, MUI), while discussing a newly released book called "Nabi-Nabi Palsu" (False Prophets), said the government needed to make a …

Treason of the Intellectuals

Ross continues to be infuriated by the lovely Julia Suryakusuma, and other intellectuals.

The chattering classes in Jakarta are starting to make themselves comfortable with the worst elements of Islam.

It has to be said that "intellectuals" are at best self-important bores and at worst a social cancer. I make a clear distinction between them and intelligent people, who are useful …

Rise of Islam

… western efforts to create and promote deviant Islamic sects, presumably such as Al-Qiyadah Al-Islamiyah and Ahmadiyah

Additionally the Americans and Europeans made determined efforts to prevent the leadership of the Organisation of The Islamic Conference (OIC) falling into Indonesian hands. If an Indonesian were to lead the group, he said, the western countries would have to step up their efforts to destroy Islam in Indonesia. beritasore

Comment by Lairedion: … as Al-Qiyadah Al-Islamiyah and Ahmadiyah New ways are …

Ahmadiyyah

… Jawa Barat Hedi Muhammad menegaskan:

Ahmadiyyah itu sama sesatnya dengan Al-Qidayah Al-Islamiyah.

Ketua Komisi Fatwa Majelis Ulama Indonesia (MUI) KH Ma'ruf Amin menyatakan bahwa keputusan Ahmadiyyah yang mengakui Muhammad sebagai nabi penutup tidak cukup untuk membatalkan fatwa sesat yang dikeluarkan MUI. Pernyataan bahwa Mirza Ghulam Ahmad hanya seorang guru dapat diartikan dalam bermacam-macam cara, ujar Ma'aruf.

Artikel ini diterjemahkan oleh Hannah Mulders dari versi …

Ahmadiyya

… Java Alliance of Muslims said:

The Ahmadiyah organization is as heretical as Al-Qiyadah al-Islamiyah.

And the Majelis Ulama Indonesia (MUI) leader Ma'ruf Amin said Ahmadiyya's decision to acknowledge Muhammad as the final prophet was not enough to lift the fatwa from the group. Saying that Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was simply a teacher could be interpreted in various ways, worried Maruf. republika

This article in Indonesian - Ahmadiyyah .

Pedophiles

… (some have just bent over), including letting in Australian police to investigate the Muslim group Jemaah Islamiah in 2004.

To be honest, I don’t know why Australia produces so many pedophiles. It could be that the country, due to its convict past, has a greater tolerance for criminals. Perhaps Australia has a different definition as to what is acceptable due to the ratio of men to women from 1788 to 1840, or the first fifty or years of its colonial history.

Sicko Smith, for example, …

Banning Islamic Sects

Whether to ban Islamic sects like Ahmadiyah.

After the banning of the sect Al-Qiyadah Al-Islamiyah recently some are clamouring for the much bigger and older sect, Ahmadiyah, to have the same fate.

Banning of Ahmadiyah

The government, or its agencies, is currently debating whether to formally ban the Ahmadiyah sect, its activities, written materials, and teachings. Ahmadiyah was founded in Punjab, India, in 1889 by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, and has about 200,000 followers in …

Comment by agam: … PKS, Dewan Dakwah Islamiyah and Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia, …

Ketidakbebasan Beragama

… di dalam gedung Ahmadiyah sudah diperingatkan akan demonstrasi ini dan telah meminta bantuan Jemaah Islam Liberal (JIL), yang kemudian mengirim lusinan mahasiswa yang juga akhirnya berseteru dengan massa GUI.

Polisi dalam pakaian perlindungan huru-hara pun tiba dan berhasil meyakinkan para anggota GUI untuk meninggalkan lokasi.

Gerakan Umat Islam (GUI) kemudian berpindah ke pusat kepolisian di Bogor dan mengajukan tuntutan akan kebradaan Ahmadiyah di kota mereka. Pimpinan GUI Habib …

Religious Intolerance

… office had been pre-warned about the demonstration and they had called on the help of the Jemaah Islam Liberal (JIL), which sent dozens of university students who then engaged in a shouting match with the GUI men.

Police in riot gear were present and managed to persuade the GUI to withdraw.

The Gerakan Umat Islam (GUI) later went to police headquarters in Bogor and filed a complaint over the existence of Ahmadiyah in the town. Their leader, Habib Abdurrachman Assegaf, also said …

Comment by Rambutan: … = Jaringan (not Jemaah) Islam Liberal. Liberal Islam …

Learning Indonesian

Ausdag explains why learning Indonesian is not popular in Australia.

Why Aren't Australians Learning Indonesian - A Response to " Bahasa Indonesia - Australians Don't Want to Learn Indonesian " (Indonesia Matters November 19th, 2007).

Having studied Indonesian at university level, then in-country and then teaching the language for five and a half years in an Australian primary school …

Comment by Achmad Sudarsono: … in terms of Jemaah Islamiah (JI) and smugglers of …

Quranic Ringtones

… from Saudi Arabia and caused some consternation here.

Amlir Syaifa Yasin of the Dewan Dakwah Islamiyah Indonesia (DDII) worries that the ringtones could sound when a person was attending to nature, in the toilet. The verses of the Quran couldn't be heard just anywhere, above all in the toilet, as they were the words of God, he said. He advised serious study of the matter. detik

The rector of a university in Surabaya, Professor Ridwan Natsir of IAIN, however says the ringtones …

Comment by Andrew: … the Dewan Dakwah Islamiyah Indonesia (DDII) worries that …

Majelis Ulama

… anti-heretic wave to more money and influence.

Continued from the stories Al Qiyadah Al Islamiyah and Muslim Beliefs.

Banning

The Attorney General formally declared the sect Al Qiyadah Al Islamiyah to be heretical and illegal throughout Indonesia on 7th November, after a meeting with representatives of the Clerics' Council (MUI), the Department of Religion, Military Intelligence, the police, and the State Intelligence Agency (BIN), and based on MUI conclusions that the …

Muslim Beliefs

… of Islamic and pseudo Islamic sects and cults, most notably concerning the group Al Qiyadah Al Islamiyah (whose leader claims to be a prophet), mostly on Java and Sumatra, and some others such as Al Quran Suci and Tatanan Persatuan Quran (TPQ), both in Bandung, and many others. antara

Police & Mob Action

There have been a considerable number of attacks on Al Qiyadah Al Islamiyah members in the past week, following the MUI fatwa against the group. Many sect members have …

Comment by dewaratugedeanom: … of Al Qiyadah Al Islamiyah was part of a systematic plot …

Mainstream

… duke it out in Banyuwangi.

While it's normally smallish, weird sects like Al-Qiyadah Al-Islamiyah or fundamentalists like LDII that have their mosques attacked by mainstream, moderate Muslims, in Banyuwangi, East Java on 26th October members of the two main mainstream Islam groups, Muhammadiyah and Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), came to blows.

In Kaligung Rogojampi, Banyuwangi, like most of East Java a stronghold of the Nahdlatul Ulama, dozens of NU people vandalised a musholla …

Stoning

… in 2006, 19% in 2007.

Militant Groups

Do you know of these groups?

Jamaah Islamiyah - 35% in 2005, 40% in 2006, 41% in 2007.

FPI, Front Pembela Islam - 37%, 38%, 41%.

MMI, Majelis Mujahidin Indonesia - 34%, 37%, 34%.

HTI, Hizb ut Tahrir - 12%, 14%, 15%.

Do you support these groups?

Jamaah Islamiyah - 11% in 2005, 11% in 2006, 8% in 2007.

FPI - 15%, 20%, 13%.

MMI - 10%, 15%, 8%.

HTI - 3%, 6%, 4%.

Are you …

Abu Irsyad, Zarkarsih

The leader of Jamaah Islamiyah (JI), Abu Irsyad alias Zarkarsih, is captured by police.

Abu Irsyad alias Mbah alias Zarkasih alias Nuaim alias Zaenuddin was captured by Detachment 88 in Ngalik, Yogyakarta on Saturday 9th June, six hours after the capture of his junior, but more famous colleague, Abu Dujana, real name Ainul Bakri. While Ainul Bakri/Abu Dujana is thought to have been in control of the …

The Three Dont’s

… Don't slander people.

He said these things while addressing leaders of the Rabithah Ma'ahid Islamiyah (RMI), an association of Islamic boarding schools.

Of the first injunction:

Don't make use of freedom without limits and without wisdom. It's dangerous. Make use of freedom in a responsible way.

Freedom had become a "commander" in society, unrestricted freedom harmed others and was unwise.

The second presidential "don't":

Over the top materialism is hedonism. …

Preachers in Politics

… religious schools has become somewhat disorganized.

Speaking at a meeting of Rabithah Ma'ahid Islamiyah (RMI), or the Association of Islamic Boarding Schools, which is connected to the country's largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), Maftuh said that clerics' involvement in politics was only justified if they did so to improve the quality of education.

Maftuh Basyuni, pressing flesh.

The minister said Islamic boarding schools, or pesantren, played a vital role in …

Islamic Leaders

People trust religious leaders the most and view religion as the basis of nationality.

A survey of 1,173 people carried out by the Islamic and Sociological Research Center (PPIM), Pusat Pengkajian Islam dan Masyarakat, at the Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University in Jakarta (IAIN) asked respondents who they trusted the most detik :

religious leaders - 41%.
the …

Comment by John Spiteri: … for JEMAAH al ISLAMIAH activities. While …

Holy Books Mix Up

… police to take action and deal firmly with those responsible.

N. Hidayat of the Dewan Dakwah Islamiyah Indonesia said in Jakarta that the matter was an example of Christianisation. eramuslim

Recently dozens of members of the Barisan Serba Guna Anshor (Banser), the para-military wing of the Nahdlatul Ulama's youth group, demonstrated over the issue. antara

Comment by Andrew: … the Dewan Dakwah Islamiyah Indonesia said in Jakarta …

Sunni vs Shia

… in finding ways for reconciliation, and defeating the enemy.

We need to re-establish Ukhuwah Islamiyah (Islamic brotherhood) so that we don't fight each other and let our enemy destroy us.

Speaking in Surabaya on 29th April 2007 Hasyim Muzadi, the leader of Nahdlatul Ulama (PBNU), defended himself against accusations that he was too close to Shia Islam, because he had recently travelled many times to Iran and Iraq in order to solve the Sunni Shia conflict.

Hasyim …

Valentine’s Day

Not everyone is in love with Valentine's Day.

A number of small demonstrations took place in a few cities on Java, in which Indonesians were urged to reject the celebration of St. Valentine's Day as an alien, unislamic practise.

In Bandung, West Java, as our friend Orgindo noted , about 60 university students conducted a "long march" along the main roads of the town, carrying banners …

Comment by 1ndra: … lacking of Ukhuwah Islamiyah and like Hassan said, no Amar …

Basri

… he was given weapons by Rifki. He said he was unsure as to whether Rifki was a member of Jamaah Islamiyah or Al Qaeda, or otherwise.

Basri said he was often afraid of carrying out attacks and had considered surrendering to police. He refrained, however, upon being told by his Javanese preachers that to surrender was haram (forbidden under Islamic law).

Adjutant Chief Commander Rudy Sufahriadi, the one who was shot by Basri, but survived, said that police had received an anonymous …

Ahmadiyah & Human Rights

… Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM, Komisi Nasional Hak Asasi Manusia) detailing attacks on the Jemaah Ahmadiyah Indonesia (JAI) sect in 2005 and 2006 has found that the group's members have suffered gross human rights violations.

The Ahmadiyah sect, originating in Pakistan, arrived in Indonesia in 1925 and for much of its history in Indonesia was largely unmolested. However in 1980 the Council of Clerics (Majelis Ulama Indonesia (MUI)) issued a fatwa against the sect declaring their …

Yusuf Lakaseng

… in company with representatives of a few small Islamic organisations, such as the ewan Dakwah Islamiyah Indonesia and Hizbullah, visited the central Jakarta police station to report the deputy secretary general of the PBR, Yusuf Lakaseng, as having committed blasphemy against Islam, by his opposition to Zaenal having taken another wife.

Zaenal says that Yusuf plans to dismiss all PBR officials across the country who are polygamous and that this move is insulting to Muslims, the Quran, …