Indonesia deflects Islamic State's recruitment drive

A jihadist recruitment video has sparked public debate about how to counter the influence of the Islamic State militant organisation. A video posted recently on YouTube.com shows an Indonesian fighter making an impassioned appeal for compatriots to join the jihadist cause abroad. 

“We appeal to your conscience and faith, what are you fearful about?” said the man identified as Abu Muhammad al-Indonesi, flanked by several masked fighters armed with rifles. “Is it your wives and children that prevent you from waging jihad in the name of Allah? Or is it your businesses, your houses and wealth?” he said in the video released by the Islamic State. 

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, government ministers and religious leaders have spoken out against the Islamic State and warned that it is a threat to the country. The organisation has taken control of large parts of Syria and Iraq, Eastern countries and has been accused of atrocities against Shia Muslims and the Yazidi, a Kurdish religious community in Iraq.

“It is encouraging that the government, public institutions and members of the public have reacted swiftly to the threat posed by IS,” said Agus Surya Bhakti of the National Counter-Terrorism Agency. 

“In the past, the Indonesian public had a reputation of being oblivious to the threat of terrorism, but today there’s tremendous awareness,” he said.

Justice Minister Amir Syamsuddin told local media that Abu Bakar Ba’asyir, who is serving a sentence for terrorism, oversaw a ceremony during which dozens of inmates held in an island prison off Java pledged allegiance to the Islamic State. 

The Islamic State is using social media like Twitter and Facebook as well as video-sharing sites to spread its propaganda and court support from Muslims worldwide. 

Indonesia is no stranger to the threat of terrorism. Between 2000 and 2009, the country was hit by five major attacks blamed on al Qaeda-inspired Islamic militants, killing about 250 people. These include the 2002 Bali bombings, in which 202 people were killed, mostly foreign tourists. A government crackdown has severely weakened militant groups but analysts have warned of a fall-out from events in the Middle East. A January report by the Jakarta-based Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict said the Syrian conflict had “captured the imagination of Indonesian extremists in a way no foreign war has before”. 

“There are internal factors such as poverty, but external factors such as the conflict in Syria and the Gaza war could fuel militancy,” said Zuhairi Misrawi, a commentator of Islamic issues. 

President Yudhoyono warned Indonesians last week against joining the conflicts in Syria and Iraq. “The state has a responsibility prevent its citizens from committing acts that could threaten their lives. Events in the Middle East are not merely about religion,” he pointed. “There are also myriad internal problems at play.”

Security Minister Djoko Suyanto declared that the jihadist ideology would not be allowed to spread in Indonesia.” Any effort to disseminate IS ideology must be stopped,” he said.

National police chief Sutarman, who uses only one name, said 56 Indonesians were believed to be fighting in Syria. Three of them were known to have died in combat, he said. 

Misrawi said Muslims sympathising with IS are few and far between, but they could still be a threat. “It’s a cause for optimism that the vast majority of Indonesian Muslims are moderate and they love to live harmony with people from other faiths,” he said. “But there are historically pockets of radicalism where people harbour a desire for an Islamic state.”

Ali Mustafa Yaqub, a member of the Indonesian Council of Muslim Scholars, said IS is a “terrorist group” that uses Islam to gain support. “They have killed many fellow Muslims in Iraq and Syria,” he pointed out. 

The Jakarta Post warned in an editorial that banning the radical ideology would be “futile and wasteful. Any excessive response to the IS threat only indicates our lack of self-confidence in Indonesia,” it said. “Education remains the best weapon to fight the IS ideology. Strong and credible law-enforcement and better intelligence capabilities should be the weapons of choice in dealing with any violence the IS supporters may be planning in Indonesia.”