Speaker: Solahudin (CSEAS and IPAC)

Title: The Roots of ISIS in Indonesia

Abstract:
ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) is the deadliest international terrorist organization today. ISIS is relatively firmly rooted in Indonesia. When ISIS declared itself an Islamic State in Syria, thousands of people in Indonesia made mass pledges to support it. From 2014-2016, it is estimated that nearly two thousand Indonesians migrated to Syria to join the terrorist organization. In addition, ISIS supporters in Indonesia carried out more than 50 terror attacks in Indonesia from 2016 to 2022. ISIS ideology came to Indonesia long before ISIS existed. The official ISIS ideology is tauhid wal jihad teaching. This ideology was brought by a cleric and spread in Indonesia in the early 2000s. It became increasingly popular after it was combined with Islamic eschatology. Together with the popularity of end-of-time beliefs, it helped pave the way for ISIS and will continue to affect the post-ISIS extremist landscape.

How did this ideology transmit to Indonesia? How did this group develop? Who supports this group? Do supporters of this group have a particular socio-economic background?  What ideological and non-ideological factors contributed to the development of ISIS in Indonesia? What new things did this group bring that changed the landscape of terrorism in Indonesia? What will happen to ISIS support groups in Indonesia after ISIS collapses in Syria and Iraq? These questions will be answered in this presentation. This presentation is based on an analysis of data taken from interviews with ISIS and former ISIS supporters, internal ISIS documents, and court documents of suspected ISIS terrorists.