The Disbanding of Jemaah Islamiyah: Flash in the Pan or a Moment of Real Change?

The Disbanding of Jemaah Islamiyah: Flash in the Pan or a Moment of Real Change? By Joshua Snider SYNOPSIS This short analysis argues that the dissolution of Jemaah Islamiyah must be understood in the context of the announcement itself and the wider context of Islamist politics in Indonesia. [...] The group has been the most potent violent Islamist actor in the region over the past two decades, notably from 2002 to 2014, when it was responsible for deadly attacks, including the Bali bombings, and various attacks in Jakarta and elsewhere in the archipelago. [...] The group operated Pondok Ngruki, a pesantren (religious school) in Central Java, and evolved from a teaching or da’wa-oriented movement into one that openly challenged the state and pursued a violent agenda to supplant the secular Indonesian state with an Islamist secession, leading ultimately to the establishment of regional and global caliphates. [...] The growth of JI and the salience of its narratives were bolstered by several separate but interrelated phenomena connected to the political dynamics in the late New Order period. [...] The opinions expressed in this work are those of the author and do not reflect the views of the National Defense College or the United Arab Emirates government.