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Abstract
Indonesia’s ongoing battle against terrorism has made deradicalisation programmes a major focus of the government. The National Counter-Terrorism Agency (BNPT) has primary responsibility for persuading terrorists to desist from, if not reject, violence as part of their Islamic struggle, but its ability to deal directly with terrorists and other radicalised communities is hampered by the depth of distrust and animosity that these communities feel towards the state and its security services. As a result, BNPT has partnered with Muslim civil society organisations (CSOs) in running anti-terrorism programmes for jihadists. Indonesia’s dominant Islamic organisations, Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah, have been in the vanguard of state-CSO counter-terrorism cooperation. Eastern Indonesia has experienced persistent terrorist activity over the past two decades, including many fatal attacks on police. This article takes as a case study CSO initiatives in the West Nusa Tenggara city of Bima, with particular attention given to Ustadz Gunawan, a pivotal figure in local jihadist circles who, in 2019, renounced violence and became a proponent of peaceful jihad. This article examines the history of extremist jihadism in Bima and the counter-radicalisation efforts of CSOs and state institutions. We argue that three key factors—personal relations between jihadists and CSO leaders, family pressure and generous material incentives from state agencies—have created space for peace promotion in communities that previously condoned, if not supported, jihadist bellicosity.
Acknowledgements
Adlin Sila presented an earlier version of this article at the 10th EuroSEAS conference, held from 10–13 September 2019 at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, a bi-annual conference organised by the European Association for Southeast Asian Studies. This article is based on Adlin Sila’s 12-month field research in Bima, West Nusa Tenggara, from 2018 through 2019, funded by ANU’s Indonesia Project and the SMERU Research Institute. Emeritus Professor Greg Fealy was the co-investigator on the project. The research is entitled ‘Listening to the voice inside, from violent extremism to moderate religiosity’. We would like to thank Emerita Professor Kathryn Robinson (ANU CAP) and Dr Birgit Bräuchler for their helpful comments on earlier drafts of this article.
Notes
1 Ustadz=Islamic teacher.
2 Ustadz Mujahidul Haq, interview with Adlin Sila, 5 December 2019.
3 Ustadz Gunawan, interview with Adlin Sila, 19 December 2019.
4 Ustadz Asikin, interview with Adlin Sila, 12 October 2020. Ustadz Asikin is the head of FUI, Forum Umat Islam (The Muslim Forum) in Bima city and a former member of PERSIS (Islamic Union), another reformist Islamic group, in Bima. Ustadz Asikin has also publicly declared that he is a member of JAS (Jamaah Anshorusy Shari’ah). https://kahaba.net/berita-bima/16773/beda-soal-isis-jat-pecah.html.
5 The National Council of Ulama of NTB Province (www.okezone.com), 12 June 2017, accessed September 2019.
6 Yusuf, interview with Adlin Sila, 25 March 2019. At the time of writing this article, Yusuf has been promoted and moved to the capital city of Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) in Lombok.
7 Ustadz Gunawan, interview with Adlin Sila, 28 February 2020.
8 Ustadz Gunawan, interview with Adlin Sila, 28 February 2020.
9 Ustadz Gunawan, interview with Adlin Sila, 10 January 2019.
10 Umi Teti, interviews with Adlin Sila, 26 March 2019.
11 Ustadz Gunawan, interview with Adlin Sila, 5 December 2021.
12 The Treaty of Hudaibiyah was signed in 628 by the Prophet Muhammad representing Medina and the Quraish tribe who controlled Mecca. The treaty was the basis for peaceful conclusion of hostilities between the two parties and paved the way for Muslims to return to Mecca. The treaty is often cited as an instance of Muhammad using negotiation and diplomacy rather than military force (Smith Citation2006).
13 Ustadz Gunawan, interview with Adlin Sila, 1–2 October 2020.