The Ambon Jihad: Aims, Ideologies, Strategies

• In Event: 97. Becoming Members, Becoming Mujahidin: Understanding Indonesian Terrorism in the Age of ISIS. Sponsored by the Indonesian East Timor-Leste Studies Committee (ITLSC)

Abstract

This paper looks at the mujahidin from other parts of Indonesia who went to Ambon after conflict between Muslims and Christians erupted in January 1999. It will discuss the organisations, which were overlooked at the time of the Ambon conflict because they were less numerous and less visible - Jemaah Islamiyah and Mujahidin Kompak – in comparison with the more numerous, more visible, and more vocal Laskar Jihad. This comparison will look at when and why these organisations decided to go to Ambon and how volunteers joined or were recruited. It will then analyse the respective strategies and ideologies of each of these jihadi groups as well as strategic cooperation and competition. Finally, it will examine the dynamics between these outside mujahidin and local Muslims as well as the impact of their arrival on the conflict, the conflict narrative, and Islam in Ambon.

Author

• Kirsten E. Schulze, London School of Economics