At 7:45 am on July 15, 2009, bombers attacked the J. W. Marriott and Four Seasons hotels in Jakarta. According to the Jakarta Police Chief, the attackers used room 1808 of the Marriott to assemble explosives before killing eight in the largest jihadi attack in Indonesia in five years. The attack was followed a week later by mass arrests of alleged jihadists and jihadi conspirators. Although their establishment is uncorroborated by al-Qaeda leaders, an organization calling itself “Tandzim Al Qo'idah Indonesia” (al-Qaeda in Indonesia) claimed responsibility for the attacks in an Indonesian-language communiqué posted online on July 26, 2009.
With a five year lull in attacks, and hundreds of jihadi operations in other countries around the region, observers may have thought that jihadism had left Indonesia and migrated to easier locals. 
Whether Western analyses regarded the danger to Indonesia as past, al-Qaeda leaders and jihadist forum members clearly view the country as an active battlefield. In speeches from al-Qaeda leadership and in strategy articles submitted to jihadist forums, al-Qaeda's followers routinely listed Indonesia alongside Afghanistan, Chechnya, Iraq, and Pakistan as lands in which the jihad is active. In addition to inclusion of Indonesia amongst the venues of jihad, the three individuals convicted and executed for their roles in the 2002 Bali bombings - Amrozi Nurhasyim, Ali Ghufron Nurhasyim, and Imam Samudra - are subjects of adulation for jihadist forum members. Their execution in November of 2008 resulted in waves of support for the bombers and incitements for others to continue their work bringing jihad to Indonesia.
Influential al-Qaeda strategist Abu Musab al-Suri recognized the importance of Indonesia in his manifesto, “Call for Global Islamic Resistance”, noting the country's strategic location and alleging a jihadi past in Indonesia. The passage, reproduced by a jihadist forum member, provides a history of Indonesia's fight against Western and global powers. Al-Suri's coverage of the country concludes that the West has embarked on a mission to Christianize, and divide, Indonesia due to the country's importance for Muslims and for an Islamic polity, writing:
| “[Indonesia] is the biggest Islamic country in terms of population. It counts more than 200 million people. About 92% of them embrace Islam... Because of the large size of the country, its industrial development, and the strong spread of Islamic awakening in it, Indonesia is subject to conspiracies to divide it. European countries, through Christian movements they converted through the years of the occupation then of independence, managed to separate East Timor from Indonesia. The Maluku Islands are experiencing fighting between Muslims and Christians who committed brutal acts. They burned houses, filmed some while they were eating the flesh of dead Muslim bodies, raw and cooked! Recently, a strong Islamic awakening flourished in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and surrounding countries of East Asia. It transitioned to jihad and confrontation of American, Western, and Australian interests. This made these countries a target of rabid American campaigns under the claims of war on terror. May Allah be [there] for our brothers and may He support them.” |
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Confirmation of Indonesia's status as a battlefield of jihad originates from myriad sources across the Islamic world. Notably, even groups as far away as Algeria have affirmed that Indonesia is a jihadist front. On July 18, 2009, a video message was released from a member of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Magreb's (AQIM) Shura Council reaffirming the group’s allegiance to al-Qaeda. Reiterating their support for jihad and unity with al-Qaeda's ideology of global jihad, the AQIM official stated:
| “..we hold the race with our brother mujahideen [all over the world] in Afghanistan and Pakistan and in the Caucasus and Iraq, and Indonesia and Palestine and the Arabian Peninsula and Somalia, we hold the race as to who of us [gets there first] to pray in the White House and do the [call to prayer] over it"[emphasis added] | ||
The November 2008 execution of Amrozi, Ali Ghufron, and Imam Samudra re-ignited jihadist interest in, and commitment to, jihad in Indonesia. The conspirators were eulogized at the highest levels of al-Qaeda. On December 1, 2008, second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahiri issued an audio message praising the bombers as “steadfast heroes”. That Zawahiri issued a eulogy for these men speaks to the tremendous importance that al-Qaeda has placed on the Bali bombings and Indonesia. Top al-Qaeda leaders such as Zawahiri rarely issue audio messages dedicated to fighters who are not extremely prominent leaders such as Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and Abu Laith al-Libi. Thus, Zawahiri's discussion to issue an audio message devoted to memorializing the Bali bombers indicates that the organization likely views inciting jihad in Indonesia as critically important for the future of the global jihad.
Jihadist forum members issued their own responses to the bomber's deaths, with members of the exclusive al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Hesbah forum urging Indonesians to participate in jihad and kill those individuals involved in actions against the bombers, including Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, his vice president, justice officials, and others. Some forum participants argued that the execution of Ali Ghufron, Imam Samudra, and Amrozi would spark widespread unrest in Indonesia similar to that among Pakistani Muslims following the government's siege of the Red Mosque and Jamia Hafsa in July 2007.
On November 4, 2008, as means to publicize the cause of jihad in Indonesia, a jihadist on the al-Hesbah forum, inspired by forum members posting messages from the three bombers, called for Indonesian Muslims to take action and strike “Zio-Crusader” targets. He particularly singled out corporations and embassies of the United States, Britain, and Denmark. The author, known as “Abu Kandahar” further posited that jihadists strike ships and open mujahideen training camps. In making his case for the necessity of jihad in Indonesia, “Abu Kandahar” provided a brief history of Indonesia as compiled by al-Qaeda strategist Abu Musab al-Suri, encouraging other jihadists to spread awareness of the plight of Indonesian Muslims. Indonesian Muslims, the article argued, should “seek jihad… the way [they] seek oxygen”. In response to Abu Kandahar's message, another al-Hesbah forum participant, “Awan al-Nasr”, suggested the possibility of kidnapping Indonesian officials for prisoner exchange, explaining that Indonesian embassies lack security relative to other countries’ embassies.
Two months after their death, the bombers continued to inspire al-Qaeda members and supporters, prompting the media division of the al-Fallujah jihadist forum to issue a video glorifying the bombers on January 5, 2009. In addition to featuring the bombers, the video contains segments of speeches from al-Qaeda leadership seeking to justify their actions and incite others to follow their path.
Beyond memorials to the Bali bombers, and incitement to follow in their footsteps and bring the global jihad to one's front door, many members of jihadist forums recognize the geostrategic position of Indonesia, and recommend attacks that would provide the maximum disruption to global business and military endeavours. Commenting on al-Qaeda media focusing on enemy supply lines, members of al-Fallujah began a long discussion on February 14, 2009 centered around disrupting global supply lines. One contributing individual viewed such attacks as a new method in al-Qaeda’s war against its enemies. When presenting optimal targets for a supply-line based system of attack, Indonesia featured in their theorized naval attack strategy. Writing to the forum, a member claimed:
| “Interest in the naval jihad project and in which I will issue a long research soon, and this stage will be achieved through several factors: The brave jihadist presence everywhere: Philippines - Indonesia - Maldives - the coasts of Yemen - the coasts of Somalia - the coasts of Chinguitt [city in Mauritania] - and the coasts of Algeria. ...” |
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In communications from al-Qaeda leaders and the leaders of al-Qaeda affiliated movements, as well as contributions to online jihadist websites and forums, Indonesia has continued to be regarded as an essential component of the international jihadist effort. Although not as high profile as the battles in Iraq and Afghanistan, forum members incite Indonesian Muslims to expand jihadist activities in the region while al-Qaeda leaders hold the Bali bombers up as objects of emulation, calling on supporters to follow their path.