By Sally Neighbour

‘deliberately and violently targeting civilians for political purposes’
(Louise Richardson, ‘What Terrorists Want’

‘believes that Islam is not only a religion but
also a political system ( and that modern
Muslims must return to the roots of their religion and unite politically )’

The world’s first ‘global terrorist’

The Sari Club, 2002

Sanglah Hospital, Denpasar

Abu Bakar Ba’asyir

Amrozi

Muklas

Ali Imron

The brothers’ family home
Tenggulun, East Java

Impact of the Indonesian war of independence against Dutch colonialism.
Muklas: ‘It was these kinds of stories that inspired me and my brothers to be mujahidin.’

‘We must eliminate all infidels and atheism until they are annilihated, and the God-granted state is established in
Indonesia, or (we must) die as martyrs in
a holy war…’ S.M. Kartosuwiryo

Islamic law

‘In the Islamic lands, not only
Muslims but also Christians and
Jews enjoyed the good life. They dressed in fine clothing, had fine houses in splendid cities serviced by paved streets, running water and sewers, and dined on spice delicacies served on Chinese porcelains…’ (continues)

Ngruki Islamic boarding school,
Solo, Central Java

1979 – a historic year
• Iranian revolution
• Soviet invasion of Afghanistan – the
‘first jihad’
• Suharto regime – oppression in
Indonesia – arrests – ‘prisoners of conscience’

Afghanistan: the crucible of the global jihad

Factors in the rise of terrorism
• Colonial carve-up of M/East & Muslim lands
• Failure of Arab nationalism
• Corruption & despotism of secular regimes
• Poverty, unemployment, socio-ec disadvantage
• Western opposition to Muslim governments
• US forces on Saudi peninsula
• Wars in Iraq & Afghanistan
• Desire for Muslim rule

‘a global terrorist movement’
Marc Sageman

Globalisation & the Internet
• Use of computers, satellite phones & internet for communication, recruitment, proselytizing
• Space to re-group
• Recruitment, indoctrination, networking, exchange of information, expertise – now occur online
• The ‘virtual ummah’
• ‘Islam-ness’ a kind of national identity
• Nation-state borders dissolving