Jemaah Islamiah: organizational structure and activities

Jemaah Islamiah

Jemaah Islamiyah is Arabic for "Islamic Community" and the translation alone of the name of this Southeast Asian terrorist group shows the beliefs of this organization. In a world where the major terrorist concern is directed towards al-Qaeda, the Asian terrorist group is too often overlooked and seen not as threatening to Western society. However, the goals and the means in which Jemaah Islamiyah operates make it extremely dangerous for regional security and eventually for the entire world.

The main goal of the organization is of creating an Islamic state in Southeast Asia. Considering that Southeast Asia has the largest Muslim population in the world, it is no news that extremist Muslim organizations operate in the area. Jemaah Islamiyah is the strongest and most dangerous terrorist organization in the region particularly because of the great number of people that believe in the cause of the organization. The dimension of its attacks shows that Jemaah Islamiyah is an organization that is truly committed to its goals and that it should be dealt with in the most serious manner. It should be very concerning for Western society that one of the reasons that bonds Muslim extremist organizations throughout the world, including in Southeast Asia, is the desire to fight against Western supremacy. Declaring jihad against Western societies and the desire to establish a fundamentalist Muslim community are features that link Muslim terrorist organizations around the world and the fact that there is an increased regional cooperation amongst terrorist groups should be very concerning.

Jemaah Islamiyah has its origins in the Darul Islam, a Muslim movement that existed in the 1940s. The leaders and founders of the organization, Abdullah Sungkar and Abu Bakar Bashir, were two radicals that created Jemaah Islamiyah trying to carry on the traditions of Darul Islam. Although the organization was not officially created as Jemaah Islamiyah until 1993, the basis of the organization were set in the 70s. Sungkar and Bashir believed in the necessity of creating an organization that would manage to create an Islamic state in the region. Although the name of Jemaah Islamiyah was not used as referring to a created organization, the main goal of this terrorist group was set years before it was founded. At first, the idea of creating an Islamic state in the region referred only to Indonesia, but as the two leaders moved to Malaysia, they realized that they should expand their goal in Southeast Asia. These ideas were promoted through religious education, therefore religion is the center element of Jemaah Islamiah.

The creation of Jemaah Islamiyah was accomplished in 1993 and the organization was from the beginning inclined towards underground activities and the use of violence in order to achieve its goals. The organization is linked since its creation with al-Qaeda and it is believed that it was this contact that influenced the violent part of the organization, being a known fact that Jemaah Islamiyah has close connections with al-Qaeda.

Sungkar and Bashir moved to Malaysia in order to escape the persecutions of the Soeharto regime in Indonesia, but after the fall of the regime in 1998, Bashir moved back to Indonesia and assumed the role of leader of Jemaah Islamiyah. Sungkar died in 1999 and so Bashir remained the founding leader of Jemaah Islamiyah. However, his position was argued by younger Jemaah members that sustained more radical ideas and that were dedicated in an extreme manner to the cause of the organization, that of creating an Islamic state in the region using violent means as a form of protest against their enemies.

Some of the younger members of the organization that were identified as being part of several terrorist attacks throughout the region are: Riduan Isamuddin alias Hambali, arrested in August 2003 for involvement in terrorist attacks; Abdul Aziz alias Imam Samudra, who was sentenced to death for his part in the Bali bombings, as well as Ali Gufron, also sentenced to death. These members, and others, were not pleased by the leadership of basher, considering him too weak and not committed enough to using all means in achieving their goal.

It was at this point that separation within the organization occurred, as Bashir decided to form a different organization, Majelis Mujahidin Indonesia (MMI) in August 2000. This organization was created with the purpose of adopting a more official point-of-view regarding Islam in the region and for supporting a political goal in a context that was favorable for the organization. Bashir decided that he should create an organization that can be part of the political life of Indonesia as an open organization. MMI gathered several Islamic groups within Indonesia and has a membership that exceeds 50,000. MMI is not as radical and violent as Jemaah Islamiyah, but some of its members do have terrorist connections with other groups. The existence of an organization that is not underground and that is part of the political life of Indonesia in an official way is a great advantage for other terrorist groups that need the official cover-up for their activities. Despite the fact that MMI is not itself involved in terrorist activities, many of its members are and the organization has close connections to all terrorist groups in the region. Such an organization is even more threatening than a terrorist one, because it can gain mass support and promote its principles a lot easier than an underground organization.

Bashir was arrested after the October 2002 bombings in Bali and since then MMI tried to present itself as a non-terrorist organization by distancing itself from its more extreme members, arguing that this is not the belief of the organization.

Jemaah Islamiyah remained a terrorist organization and its connections with other terrorist organizations throughout the world made it part of the list of the most dangerous terrorist groups. The organization was added on the list of terrorist organizations linked with al-Qaeda or the Taliban in 2002 under UN Security Council Resolution 1267.

After 2001, Jemaah Islamiyah came into the attention of the world and many of its members were arrested. However, the organization did not lose its capability of conducting terrorist attacks. The split that occurred inside the organization between those that support terrorist attacks directed against common enemies of all Muslims and those that support the original goal of the organization is merely a split in the perceived goal of the organization, and not a clear break-up inside the organization. Many terrorist experts sustain that in fact the organization can function just as well, being directed on two levels, one that is focused on the regional fight against non-Muslims and one that is focused on the international jihad against non-Muslims. However, both factions continue to conduct their fights in a violent manner, therefore the organization is just as dangerous, despite internal factions and major arrests.

In fact, the current status of the organization would best be described as re-consolidation. The organization was not entirely annihilated and so it still has the capability of recruiting new members. Another concerning factor is that it has reoriented its strategy with the creation of MMI, the political arm of the organization. The group is re-building itself with an even greater emphasis on religious manipulation and is even more determined to fight against Western domination, especially after so many of its members were arrested.

Although the organization started as a regional oriented group aiming for the creation of a Muslim state in the region, Jemaah Islamiyah became involved in the jihad against the Western dominance of the world, together with other Muslim terrorist organizations. The goal of the organization was furthered even more, as regional conflict became international and Jemaah Islamiyah became involve in the world war performed by Islamic terrorist organizations against Western nations. Jemaah Islamiyah was linked with both World Trade Center attacks and it was directly responsible for the Bali bombings in 2002. The international involvement of the organization in terrorist attacks shows that there is a large-scale cooperation amongst like-minded individuals, no matter their geographic positioning. Such cooperation is extremely hard to counter-fight against since terrorist organizations such a Jemaah Islamiyah are connected in one way or another with terrorist attacks developed in completely different regions than their region of interest. Although the organization was initially created to serve regional interests, it is now a well integrated part of the web of terrorist organizations throughout the world. Through this close cooperation with other organizations that believe in the same goals, terrorist organizations share information, funding, training and personnel.

Given the ethnic and religious diversity of Southeast Asia, Islam does not represent the only religion in the region, although it has the greatest number of supporters. However, Islam does not have the same strength here as it does in the Middle East because of several factors related to the particular historical and religious characteristics of the region. Given the multicultural environment of the region, it was hard for radical organizations to form here at an extended level. The most radical and big terrorist Muslim organization in the region is Jemaah Islamiyah.

Religion plays the center part in Jemaah Islamiyah and the extremist religious interpretation is one of the methods of manipulation of the members. In fact, religious teaching is the first step in the recruiting process of almost all Muslim terrorist organizations. As it is the case of Jemaah Islamiyah, religious teachings organized for general audience represent the first stage of the recruitment process as it draws people that are easily manipulated by the extremist interpretation of religious beliefs and that soon become dedicated to jihad. The second stage of the recruitment process is identifying the ones that seem particularly interested in finding out more about the views presented by the teacher. Both of the founders of Jemaah were school teachers.

After identifying in religious education classes the ones that seemed more interested in learning more, the students are introduced to the organization and if they seem eager to be part of the organization, they go through a training period, which usually lasts 18 months, during which they are sent to training camps in Malaysia and Afghanistan. After the removal of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, terrorist organizations such as al-Qaeda and its affiliates had to find other places to set their camps. Such places are the islands of Mindanao in the Phillipines and Sulawesi in Indonesia.

Recruits are sent to these camps without anyone knowing where they are. Terrorist organizations in general operate with maximum discretion and members are often given code names and false documents and their families are unaware of their occupation. The training process includes religious, psychical and physical trainings. The first period is that of religious indoctrination and in which the member is prepared for whatever sacrifice he might have to do for his group. After that, the recruits are sent to training camps where they are taught how to use weapons, manufacture bombs and combat tactics.

Jemaah Islamiyah has in its manual, called "Pedoman Umum Perjuangan Jemaah Islamiyah" ("General Guidelines of the Struggle of Jemaah Islamiyah"), the main goal of the organization, that of creating a transnational Islamic state comprising Indonesia, Malaysia, and the southern Philippines. This is the main ideology of the organization, rooted in Darul Islam. However, this has changed in time or it became less important as the organization got more and more involved in international jihad.

Another influence in the organization's ideology is brought by Middle Eastern Islamic radicalism. This influence on the organization is the result of the connections of several Jemaah members with terrorist members of other groups such as al-Qaeda. A third influence that can be identified in the ideology of Jemaah is that of the Afghan Jihad brought by Afghan war veterans that were established in Indonesia and Malaysia. Hambali, a preeminent Jemaah member, was an Afghan war veteran. This influence established the link between Jemaah Islamiyah and al-Qaeda and is the main source of the involvement of the organization in the international jihad against U.S. And Western targets.

One of the tactics used in all terrorist organizations is that they provide a sense of appurtenance and stability to the members of the organization, so that they feel that they are part of an exclusive group where they are respected and treated as equals. This manipulation is extremely effective as most terrorist members feel rejected by society or they fell that they are not understood given their inclination towards radicalism. Being accepted in an organization that most of the times provide them everything they need gives members stability and offers them a great deal of comfort. Jemaah Islamiyah members are dedicated to the cause of the organization, are completely indoctrinated with religious teachings and sincerely believe in the ideology of the organization. Having this advantage over the members, many of them are convinced to become suicidal attackers being promised that they will become martyrs in return of their sacrifice for the greater purpose of the organization.

In recent years, Jemaah Islamiyah became even more committed to fighting the international holy war against U.S. And Western countries. Its involvement in terrorist attacks in U.S. And against Western targets is Southeast Asia shows the level of commitment the organization has in its fight against U.S. dominance. The link that exists between Muslim terrorist organizations irrespective of their location shows that terrorist organizations tend to globalize and so they will become even harder to track down. Jemaah Islamiyah is currently more dedicated to performing its role in the international jihad and this is the result of the influences that other Muslim organizations had in building the ideology of the organization.

As found on a violent Islamism website, the reasons for the Bali bombings for which Jemaah Islamiyah is directly responsible are entirely related to non-Muslim targets. The explanations given illustrate that the organization wanted to keep non-Muslim immoral tourists away from the region. The immoral activities of non-Muslims that came to Bali were considered insulting considering that that was a Muslim region in which Muslim values prevail. This response against the imperialist behavior of Western nations shows the commitment of the organization as part of the international jihad.

However, the response of the organization against the immoral attitudes of westerners that came to Bali is most definitely not done in a moral way. Here is where the Muslim ideology is interpreted in a radical manner that allows "true believers" to fight through whatever means against non-believers. The main target against which Jemaah and other Muslim terrorist organizations fight is U.S. And its perceived imperialist behavior. The fact that a Southeast Asian terrorist organization was partly involved in the 2001 attacks and directed attacks in the region against U.S. targets (even if they were tourists) shows that the ideology of the organization has somehow shifted towards the global fight against U.S..

Members are convinced that their involvement in terrorist attacks represent their redemption for their sins as they are fighting in the name of religion against those that do not respect it or follow it. "According to JI expert Zachary Abuza, the concept of purifying violence is central to the JI ideology. Religious violence is seen as an act of cleansing of sins, particularly important in the case of JI members who were formerly criminals and are seeking redemption."

The organization has a leader, which is called emir or spiritual leader, and the members are supposed to take an oath to the leader, swearing their complete dedication to the cause of the organization. Jemaah Islamiyah's leader, Bashir, is a very respected religious figure inside the organization. Although he was not directly involved in terrorist attacks, he was the figure that provided religious guidelines for the operations conducted by the organization. He allegedly approved the Christmas 2000 church bombings in Indonesia, in which over 100 people were killed and injured.

Currently, the organization is divided into two factions, one that is supporting terrorist attacks and a violent response against their perceived enemies, and one that is supporting a long-term strategy targeting the creation of a Muslim state in Southeast Asia. Some analysts believe that this separation inside the organization has damaged its powers and that it might not be as effective as it originally was. In fact, although the organization is going through changes, it should be just as concerning the fact that there is a faction that supports terrorist attacks.

One element that Jemaah Islamiyah introduced in the region and that is characteristic to other Muslim organizations such as al-Qaeda is the suicide bombings. Terrorist groups that operated in the region before the creation of Jemaah did not use suicide bombings, although their attacks were violent and often. However, the fact that this organization was very much influenced even since its beginnings by other Muslim terrorist organizations and the fact that it was based on radical religious interpretation brought a new element in the regional attack mode. In the Bali attacks, a suicide bomber carried a bomb in his backpack in a crowded club. The three bombing attacks in Bali represent the biggest terrorist attack in Indonesia and the one with the greatest number of victims. The fact that suicide attacks were used in these bombings represents the obvious influence of Middle Easter Muslim terrorist groups. Two other attacks conducted by Jemaah Islamiah also point towards the influence of Middle Eastern tactics. The 2003 bombing at the J.W. Marriot Hotel in Jakarta and the 2004 car explosion in front of the Australian embassy were both directed against foreign tourists, mainly Western or connected with Western countries, and they were both carried out in the manner of Middle Eastern terrorist attacks.

As it is the case of most terrorist organizations, the financing system of Jemaah Islamiah is very complex and complicated due to the underground activities of the organization. One of the leading figures of the organization, Hambali, established a palm oil export company that was created to cover funds that support terrorist activities. Another member that also played an important part in creating firms that cover the real business of the organization is Yazid Sufaat. However, these companies represent only a small part of the financing of the organization. As in most terrorist organizations, the main part of the financing comes from private donations or from donations from various organizations, mostly of religious character. Donations represent an important part in the Islamic religion and Muslim often donate up to 2.5% of their income to Muslim humanitarian causes. It is no wonder that supporting terrorist organizations is seen by those who donate, which also support radical views, as a mandatory part of being good Muslims.

Another method of covering the real business of a terrorist organization is by operating through NGOs, which besides their basic humanitarian actions also further support terrorist organizations. In these cases, most o the donors do not know where their money eventually end up in. One example is that of the Mercy Foundation of the Philippines, which has been linked to Jemaah Islamiah.

The shift in the organization's ideology and in its main preoccupation shows that the organization is strong enough to carry out attacks directed against Westerners irrespective of their location. The fact that the organization has changed its focus from religious conflicts between Muslims and non-Muslims in Southeast Asia to involvement in conflicts between Muslim and non-Muslims at the international level shows that the organization is clearly connected with other terrorist organizations, amongst which is al-Qaeda.

The link between al-Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiyah became visible after the Bali bombings, when two men were captured as they were suspected to have been involved in the attacks. In their testimonies, they admitted that they have trained in Afghanistan, where they met Bin Laden in the 1980s. This proves that the connections between Jemaah and al-Qaeda were established very early and that there was a strong cooperation between the two. The change in ideology that took place inside Jemaah Islamiah is also a sign that the affiliation with al-Qaeda had a strong influence on the organization. Another part of the testimonies of the two captured men reveals that they believe that the Bali bombings were sponsored by al-Qaeda. It is clear that Jemaah Islamiyah is currently part of the international web of terrorist Muslim organizations which are devoted to fighting the jihad against the imperialistic views of non-Muslims. It is also clear that the growth of Jemaah Islamiyah in the past years and the change in its operating modes are the result of the influence of al-Qaeda.