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INDONESIAN AND MALAYSIAN SUPPORT FOR THE ISLAMIC STATE (FINAL REPORT)

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skills, database management and operational training over the past ten years and now believe that foreign<br />

counterparts are more in need of their cooperation than the reverse. As noted above, Indonesia’s main<br />

intelligence agency BIN has a poor record on terrorism analysis and this is unlikely to improve under its<br />

newly appointed head, the septuagenarian ex-general and failed politician, Sutiyoso.<br />

However, the Joko Widodo government’s broad approach to counter-terrorism policy may be one area where<br />

the US government could exert a beneficial influence. Several specific areas need consideration:<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

The first would be advising the Indonesian government against expanding the role of the armed<br />

forces (TNI) in counter-terrorism tasks. Not only does TNI have a poor grasp of terrorism issues<br />

and a tendency to use heavy-handed measures, but also Indonesia’s democratization requires the<br />

military to keep as much as possible in the barracks rather than engaging in complex civil security<br />

operations that ought to be the preserve of the police.<br />

Second, BNPT’s performance has been disappointing and much could be done to lift the quality of<br />

its work. Greater resources to analysis of terrorist ideological and organisation trends, better prison<br />

de-radicalisation programs for jihadist inmates, more sophisticated anti-terrorism campaigns that<br />

more closely target at-risk communities are just some of the areas in which BNPT could improve.<br />

Third, prisons remain a major problem and successive Indonesian governments have done little to<br />

ameliorate the situation. Not only are prisons sites of recruitment to ISIS and other jihadist groups,<br />

they are also largely failing in their efforts to persuade inmates from disengaging from terrorist<br />

activities. Better funded and better researched prison programs could make a significant difference.<br />

Another area where the USG and USAID in particular could play a useful role would be in supporting the<br />

development of better monitoring and analysis of violent religious extremism, including jihadist violence, in<br />

Indonesia. At present, most of the Indonesian commentators on violent extremism and terrorism are poorly<br />

informed and, as often as not, add to, rather than lessen common misunderstandings of jihadist motivations<br />

and strategies. There are some exceptions to this, such as Solahudin, who has published extensively on<br />

jihadism and is involved in several university research centers. Sidney Jones and IPAC provide the most<br />

detailed and reputable analysis on jihadism issues. The USG and particularly USAID could provide support<br />

to researchers and institutions that analyze jihadist groups and publicize their findings. But the scope for<br />

helping Indonesia-based organizations is limited, as many are reluctant to accept funding or in-kind assistance<br />

from a Western government for fear that it will taint their reputation. Related to this, the USG could<br />

encourage its Indonesian and Malaysian counterparts to regularly release to the public more information on<br />

the nature of the ISIS threat and operations. This would help citizens to identify potentially dangerous pro-<br />

ISIS messages and activities as well as persuade them that their government’s CT policies and actions are<br />

based on solid information and analysis, and are therefore credible.<br />

Both the Indonesian and Malaysian governments could also be enjoined to pursue genuinely moderate<br />

domestic Islamic agendas. The US State Department’s recent annual reporting on religious rights in<br />

Indonesia and Malaysia records the declining tolerance in both nations. Over the past decade successive<br />

Indonesian governments have paid lip service to religious tolerance but have not vigorously acted to stop<br />

sectarian groups that engage in vigilante violence towards religious minorities. There is some research<br />

indicating that members of vigilante Islamist groups are prone to recruitment by more extreme movements,<br />

including those that are pro-ISIS. In the case of Malaysia, the moderate Islamic image it projects<br />

internationally is not reflected in domestic policy that is increasingly sectarian and hostile not only to minority<br />

religious rights but also to progressive Muslim views. The USG should encourage Malaysia to protect basic<br />

human rights by amending new draconian laws such as the Prevention of Terrorism Act -- or at the least<br />

exercise caution in implementing them -- since the laws are likely to radicalize rather than protect against<br />

terrorists.<br />

Indonesian and Malaysian Support for the Islamic State 28

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