• Home
  • About RSIS
    • Introduction
    • Building the Foundations
    • Welcome Message
    • Board of Governors
    • Staff Profiles
      • Executive Deputy Chairman’s Office
      • Dean’s Office
      • Management
      • Distinguished Fellows
      • Faculty and Research
      • Associate Research Fellows, Senior Analysts and Research Analysts
      • Visiting Fellows
      • Adjunct Fellows
      • Administrative Staff
    • Honours and Awards for RSIS Staff and Students
    • RSIS Endowment Fund
    • Endowed Professorships
    • Career Opportunities
    • Getting to RSIS
  • Research
    • Research Centres
      • Centre for Multilateralism Studies (CMS)
      • Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies (NTS Centre)
      • Centre of Excellence for National Security (CENS)
      • Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies (IDSS)
      • International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research (ICPVTR)
    • Research Programmes
      • National Security Studies Programme (NSSP)
      • Studies in Inter-Religious Relations in Plural Societies (SRP) Programme
    • Research @ RSIS
    • Other Programmes
      • Science and Technology Studies Programme (STSP)
  • Graduate Education
    • Graduate Programmes Office
    • Overview
    • MSc (Asian Studies)
    • MSc (International Political Economy)
    • MSc (International Relations)
    • MSc (Strategic Studies)
    • NTU-Warwick Double Masters Programme
    • PhD Programme
    • Exchange Partners and Programmes
    • How to Apply
    • Financial Assistance
    • Information Sessions
    • RSIS Alumni
  • Alumni & Networks
    • Alumni
    • Asia-Pacific Programme for Senior Military Officers (APPSMO)
    • Asia-Pacific Programme for Senior National Security Officers (APPSNO)
    • SRP Executive Programme
    • Terrorism Analyst Training Course (TATC)
  • Publications
    • RSIS Publications
      • Annual Reviews
      • Books
      • Bulletins and Newsletters
      • Commentaries
      • Counter Terrorist Trends and Analyses
      • Commemorative / Event Reports
      • IDSS Paper
      • Interreligious Relations
      • Monographs
      • NTS Insight
      • Policy Reports
      • Working Papers
      • RSIS Publications for the Year
    • Glossary of Abbreviations
    • External Publications
      • Authored Books
      • Journal Articles
      • Edited Books
      • Chapters in Edited Books
      • Policy Reports
      • Working Papers
      • Op-Eds
      • External Publications for the Year
    • Policy-relevant Articles Given RSIS Award
  • Media
    • COVID-19 Resources
    • Cohesive Societies
    • Great Powers
    • Sustainable Security
    • Other Resource Pages
    • Media Highlights
    • News Releases
    • Speeches
    • Vidcast Channel
    • Audio/Video Forums
  • Events
  • Giving
  • Contact Us
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
RSISVideoCast RSISVideoCast rsis.sg
Linkedin
instagram instagram rsis.sg
RSS
  • Home
  • About RSIS
      • Introduction
      • Building the Foundations
      • Welcome Message
      • Board of Governors
      • Staff Profiles
        • Executive Deputy Chairman’s Office
        • Dean’s Office
        • Management
        • Distinguished Fellows
        • Faculty and Research
        • Associate Research Fellows, Senior Analysts and Research Analysts
        • Visiting Fellows
        • Adjunct Fellows
        • Administrative Staff
      • Honours and Awards for RSIS Staff and Students
      • RSIS Endowment Fund
      • Endowed Professorships
      • Career Opportunities
      • Getting to RSIS
  • Research
      • Research Centres
        • Centre for Multilateralism Studies (CMS)
        • Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies (NTS Centre)
        • Centre of Excellence for National Security (CENS)
        • Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies (IDSS)
        • International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research (ICPVTR)
      • Research Programmes
        • National Security Studies Programme (NSSP)
        • Studies in Inter-Religious Relations in Plural Societies (SRP) Programme
      • Research @ RSIS
      • Other Programmes
        • Science and Technology Studies Programme (STSP)
  • Graduate Education
      • Graduate Programmes Office
      • Overview
      • MSc (Asian Studies)
      • MSc (International Political Economy)
      • MSc (International Relations)
      • MSc (Strategic Studies)
      • NTU-Warwick Double Masters Programme
      • PhD Programme
      • Exchange Partners and Programmes
      • How to Apply
      • Financial Assistance
      • Information Sessions
      • RSIS Alumni
  • Alumni & Networks
      • Alumni
      • Asia-Pacific Programme for Senior Military Officers (APPSMO)
      • Asia-Pacific Programme for Senior National Security Officers (APPSNO)
      • SRP Executive Programme
      • Terrorism Analyst Training Course (TATC)
  • Publications
      • RSIS Publications
        • Annual Reviews
        • Books
        • Bulletins and Newsletters
        • Commentaries
        • Counter Terrorist Trends and Analyses
        • Commemorative / Event Reports
        • IDSS Paper
        • Interreligious Relations
        • Monographs
        • NTS Insight
        • Policy Reports
        • Working Papers
        • RSIS Publications for the Year
      • Glossary of Abbreviations
      • External Publications
        • Authored Books
        • Journal Articles
        • Edited Books
        • Chapters in Edited Books
        • Policy Reports
        • Working Papers
        • Op-Eds
        • External Publications for the Year
      • Policy-relevant Articles Given RSIS Award
  • Media
      • COVID-19 Resources
      • Cohesive Societies
      • Great Powers
      • Sustainable Security
      • Other Resource Pages
      • Media Highlights
      • News Releases
      • Speeches
      • Vidcast Channel
      • Audio/Video Forums
  • Events
  • Giving
  • Contact Us
  • instagram instagram rsis.sg
Connect

Getting to RSIS

Map

Address

Nanyang Technological University
Block S4, Level B3,
50 Nanyang Avenue,
Singapore 639798

View location on Google maps Click here for directions to RSIS

Get in Touch

    Connect with Us

      rsis.ntu
      rsis_ntu
      rsisntu
    RSISVideoCast RSISVideoCast rsisvideocast
      school/rsis-ntu
    instagram instagram rsis.sg
      RSS
    Subscribe to RSIS Publications
    Subscribe to RSIS Events

    RSIS Intranet

    S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies Think Tank and Graduate School Ponder The Improbable Since 1966
    Nanyang Technological University Nanyang Technological University

    Skip to content

     
    • RSIS
    • Publication
    • RSIS Publications
    • CO14135 | Declaration of a State of Islam ‘Caliphate’: Will discord among Indonesian Jihadists breed violence?
    • Annual Reviews
    • Books
    • Bulletins and Newsletters
    • Commentaries
    • Counter Terrorist Trends and Analyses
    • Commemorative / Event Reports
    • IDSS Paper
    • Interreligious Relations
    • Monographs
    • NTS Insight
    • Policy Reports
    • Working Papers
    • RSIS Publications for the Year

    CO14135 | Declaration of a State of Islam ‘Caliphate’: Will discord among Indonesian Jihadists breed violence?
    V. Arianti & Robi Sugara

    10 July 2014

    download pdf
    RSIS Commentary is a platform to provide timely and, where appropriate, policy-relevant commentary and analysis of topical and contemporary issues. The authors’ views are their own and do not represent the official position of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, NTU. These commentaries may be reproduced with prior permission from RSIS and due recognition to the author(s) and RSIS. Please email to Mr Yang Razali Kassim, Editor RSIS Commentary at [email protected]

    Synopsis

    The declaration of a State of Islam Caliphate by the leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and Sham (ISIS) Abu Bakar al-Baghdadi on 29 June 2014 has drawn mixed reactions from the Indonesian jihadi community. Will this discord lead to possible violence?

    Commentary

    The jihadist community in Indonesia has been divided over the extent to which it should back Abu Bakar al-Baghdadi, leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and Sham (ISIS) and the ‘Caliphate’ of the State of Islam which he declared on 29 June 2014. Overt ba’iat (pledges of allegiance) for the ‘Caliphate’ from among radical individuals and smaller radical groups has increased. Conversely, despite supporting the cause of the ‘Caliphate’, established jihadi groups such as Jamaah Ansharut Tauhid (JAT) and Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) have been cautious in formally pledging the oath of allegiance to the group.

    Support for ‘Caliphate’

    The radical Forum Aktivis Syariat Islam (Forum of Activists for Islamic Sharia) or FAKSI, a new group established by M. Fachry, was among the groups who first supported ISIS even before the formation of the ‘Caliphate’. FAKSI also played an instrumental role in garnering support for the ‘Caliphate’ from radical groups such as Gerakan Reformis Islam (Islam Reform Movement) or GARIS and Gerakan Tauhid Lamongan (Oneness of God Movement, Lamongan City). FAKSI’s campaign also managed to attract prominent jihadi ideologues such as Aman Abdurrahman – who recently pledged allegiance to al-Baghdadi and declared that it is obligatory for Muslims to do so – and Halawi Makmun. Events in support of ISIS have taken place in Greater Jakarta Area, and Bima (a city in West Nusa Tenggara). Over a hundred people, including dozens of children, attended each of the events that were held in February and March 2014. These events and especially the involvement of children were captured in video recordings that have been circulating on the jihadi social media.

    The ‘Caliphate’ has also obtained support from an Indonesian terrorist group Mujahidin Indonesia Timur (Mujahidin of Eastern Indonesia) or MIT that is led by fugitive, Santoso. MIT, which was responsible for a series of attacks against police in the restive area of Poso, Central Sulawesi, had immediately produced a video that featured Santoso’s pledge of allegiance to Al-Baghdadi. He had declared that MIT was part of the ‘Caliphate’ and that it stood ready to act on its instructions. At around the same time, al-Baghdadi posted a Ramadhan message in an apparent address to downtrodden Muslims around the world including Indonesia. He assured them that the ‘Caliphate’ will rescue them even if this took time.

    About the Author

    V. Arianti is an Associate Research Fellow and Robi Sugara is a graduate student pursuing M.Sc in Strategic Studies at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University.

    In contrast, JI and JAT’s response to the formation of the ‘Caliphate’ has been somewhat measured. The extremist ideologue Abu Bakar Ba’asyir who formerly headed JI and currently chairs JAT has not issued any statement on the formation of the ‘Caliphate’. Still it is noted that he had in the last several months expressed positive interest in the jihadi cause in Syria by calling on the ISIS and the other dissenting mujahidin groups there to set aside their differences and pursue their cause in concert. JAT’s spokesman Ahmad Fatih has officially stated that JAT will take the time to study whether it will pledge the oath of allegiance to the ‘Caliphate’ and would not do so hastily.

    As regards jihadi websites, other than Al-Mustaqbal.net (manned by M. Fachry) and Shoutussalam.com that have become ISIS’ mouthpieces in Bahasa Indonesia, the majority of the Bahasa Indonesia extremist websites translated opinions from extremist ideologues affiliated to Al-Qaeda such as Abu Muhammad Al-Maqdisi who have been critical of ISIS’s declaration. He is concerned about how the new ‘Caliphate’ would treat other jihadi groups.

    Contrary to the measured response of JAT and JI there have been over a thousand messages of support for ISIS from the young radicals in online social media such as Facebook and YouTube. Many of them have written pledges of allegiance to al Baghdadi. Some have expressed disappointment with JAT and JI for their hesitancy. It is unlikely that those who attended declarations of ISIS in Greater Jakarta Area as well as in Bima are members of JAT or JI.
    Implication

    The muted reaction from JAT and JI has not hampered the expression of support for ISIS by radical youths. On the contrary, it is expected that the support for the ‘Caliphate’ will increase especially with Al-Baghdadi’s latest Ramadhan message. ISIS’s savviness in optimising online extremist websites, forum, and social media to broadcast its victories including the capture of Mosul, the second largest city in Iraq, has ignited the spirits of the Indonesian jihadists.

    ISIS’s seeming successes in the battlefield will motivate more Indonesian jihadi youth to join it. There will likely be more dissatisfaction among the radical youths towards JAT and JI for the muted reaction towards ISIS’s declaration and this may force their hand to pledge support for the ‘Caliphate’. Meanwhile, the dissensions within the Indonesian jihadi community may catalyse the formation of more deadly splinter groups.

    There is precedence for these dynamics. The militant faction within JI under Hambali, Mukhlas, and Imam Samudra planned and executed the Bali bombing in 2002 despite opposition by some others within the JI leadership. Many militant JI members then joined JAT – established by Abu Bakar Ba’asyir in 2008 – with the hope that JAT will serve their violent agenda. Disgruntled JAT members, including Santoso who established MIT, pursued terrorism on their own.

    MIT now stands ready to pursue violence on the ISIS’s instructions. There is a strong possibility that continued perception of ISIS’s victory will set off these dynamics for more violence by radical individuals and smaller radical groups.

    Categories: Commentaries / Conflict and Stability / Country and Region Studies / Non-Traditional Security

    Last updated on 05/09/2014

    RSIS Commentary is a platform to provide timely and, where appropriate, policy-relevant commentary and analysis of topical and contemporary issues. The authors’ views are their own and do not represent the official position of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, NTU. These commentaries may be reproduced with prior permission from RSIS and due recognition to the author(s) and RSIS. Please email to Mr Yang Razali Kassim, Editor RSIS Commentary at [email protected]

    Synopsis

    The declaration of a State of Islam Caliphate by the leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and Sham (ISIS) Abu Bakar al-Baghdadi on 29 June 2014 has drawn mixed reactions from the Indonesian jihadi community. Will this discord lead to possible violence?

    Commentary

    The jihadist community in Indonesia has been divided over the extent to which it should back Abu Bakar al-Baghdadi, leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and Sham (ISIS) and the ‘Caliphate’ of the State of Islam which he declared on 29 June 2014. Overt ba’iat (pledges of allegiance) for the ‘Caliphate’ from among radical individuals and smaller radical groups has increased. Conversely, despite supporting the cause of the ‘Caliphate’, established jihadi groups such as Jamaah Ansharut Tauhid (JAT) and Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) have been cautious in formally pledging the oath of allegiance to the group.

    Support for ‘Caliphate’

    The radical Forum Aktivis Syariat Islam (Forum of Activists for Islamic Sharia) or FAKSI, a new group established by M. Fachry, was among the groups who first supported ISIS even before the formation of the ‘Caliphate’. FAKSI also played an instrumental role in garnering support for the ‘Caliphate’ from radical groups such as Gerakan Reformis Islam (Islam Reform Movement) or GARIS and Gerakan Tauhid Lamongan (Oneness of God Movement, Lamongan City). FAKSI’s campaign also managed to attract prominent jihadi ideologues such as Aman Abdurrahman – who recently pledged allegiance to al-Baghdadi and declared that it is obligatory for Muslims to do so – and Halawi Makmun. Events in support of ISIS have taken place in Greater Jakarta Area, and Bima (a city in West Nusa Tenggara). Over a hundred people, including dozens of children, attended each of the events that were held in February and March 2014. These events and especially the involvement of children were captured in video recordings that have been circulating on the jihadi social media.

    The ‘Caliphate’ has also obtained support from an Indonesian terrorist group Mujahidin Indonesia Timur (Mujahidin of Eastern Indonesia) or MIT that is led by fugitive, Santoso. MIT, which was responsible for a series of attacks against police in the restive area of Poso, Central Sulawesi, had immediately produced a video that featured Santoso’s pledge of allegiance to Al-Baghdadi. He had declared that MIT was part of the ‘Caliphate’ and that it stood ready to act on its instructions. At around the same time, al-Baghdadi posted a Ramadhan message in an apparent address to downtrodden Muslims around the world including Indonesia. He assured them that the ‘Caliphate’ will rescue them even if this took time.

    About the Author

    V. Arianti is an Associate Research Fellow and Robi Sugara is a graduate student pursuing M.Sc in Strategic Studies at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University.

    In contrast, JI and JAT’s response to the formation of the ‘Caliphate’ has been somewhat measured. The extremist ideologue Abu Bakar Ba’asyir who formerly headed JI and currently chairs JAT has not issued any statement on the formation of the ‘Caliphate’. Still it is noted that he had in the last several months expressed positive interest in the jihadi cause in Syria by calling on the ISIS and the other dissenting mujahidin groups there to set aside their differences and pursue their cause in concert. JAT’s spokesman Ahmad Fatih has officially stated that JAT will take the time to study whether it will pledge the oath of allegiance to the ‘Caliphate’ and would not do so hastily.

    As regards jihadi websites, other than Al-Mustaqbal.net (manned by M. Fachry) and Shoutussalam.com that have become ISIS’ mouthpieces in Bahasa Indonesia, the majority of the Bahasa Indonesia extremist websites translated opinions from extremist ideologues affiliated to Al-Qaeda such as Abu Muhammad Al-Maqdisi who have been critical of ISIS’s declaration. He is concerned about how the new ‘Caliphate’ would treat other jihadi groups.

    Contrary to the measured response of JAT and JI there have been over a thousand messages of support for ISIS from the young radicals in online social media such as Facebook and YouTube. Many of them have written pledges of allegiance to al Baghdadi. Some have expressed disappointment with JAT and JI for their hesitancy. It is unlikely that those who attended declarations of ISIS in Greater Jakarta Area as well as in Bima are members of JAT or JI.
    Implication

    The muted reaction from JAT and JI has not hampered the expression of support for ISIS by radical youths. On the contrary, it is expected that the support for the ‘Caliphate’ will increase especially with Al-Baghdadi’s latest Ramadhan message. ISIS’s savviness in optimising online extremist websites, forum, and social media to broadcast its victories including the capture of Mosul, the second largest city in Iraq, has ignited the spirits of the Indonesian jihadists.

    ISIS’s seeming successes in the battlefield will motivate more Indonesian jihadi youth to join it. There will likely be more dissatisfaction among the radical youths towards JAT and JI for the muted reaction towards ISIS’s declaration and this may force their hand to pledge support for the ‘Caliphate’. Meanwhile, the dissensions within the Indonesian jihadi community may catalyse the formation of more deadly splinter groups.

    There is precedence for these dynamics. The militant faction within JI under Hambali, Mukhlas, and Imam Samudra planned and executed the Bali bombing in 2002 despite opposition by some others within the JI leadership. Many militant JI members then joined JAT – established by Abu Bakar Ba’asyir in 2008 – with the hope that JAT will serve their violent agenda. Disgruntled JAT members, including Santoso who established MIT, pursued terrorism on their own.

    MIT now stands ready to pursue violence on the ISIS’s instructions. There is a strong possibility that continued perception of ISIS’s victory will set off these dynamics for more violence by radical individuals and smaller radical groups.

    Categories: Commentaries / Conflict and Stability / Country and Region Studies / Non-Traditional Security

    Last updated on 05/09/2014

    Back to top

    Terms of Use | Privacy Statement
    Copyright © S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. All rights reserved.
    This site uses cookies to offer you a better browsing experience. By continuing, you are agreeing to the use of cookies on your device as described in our privacy policy. Learn more
    OK
    Latest Book
    CO14135 | Declaration of a State of Islam ‘Caliphate’: Will discord among Indonesian Jihadists breed violence?

    Synopsis

    The declaration of a State of Islam Caliphate by the leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and Sham (ISIS) Abu B ...
    more info