Counter Terrorist Trends and Analysis Inside Understanding the Radical Mindset: Factors Motivating Terrorism and Political Violence - Prof. Rohan Gunaratna and Orla Hennessy “What is that Buzz?” The rise of Drone Warfare - Ahmed S. Hashim and Grégoire Patte Challenges to Evolution of a National Terrorism Policy in Pakistan - Abdul Basit Understanding Islamic Moderation: The Wasatiyya Imperative - Taufiq bin Radja Nurul Bahri Volume 4: Issue 9, September 2012 2 Understanding the Radical Mindset: Factors Motivating Terrorism and Political Violence* By Prof. Rohan Gunaratna and Orla Hennessy Based on personal interviews, this paper explores the mindset of Ali Imron and Umar Patek, two of the masterminds behind the 2002 Bali bombing. “My friends went to fight in the jihad because of means “The Islamic Group” in Arabic. The group these stories. This is what inspired international was loosely formed by Abu Bakar Bashir and terrorism......If they want to kill, there are verses Abdullah Sungkar in Indonesia throughout the in the Quran.” - Ali Imron seventies and eighties. It has its roots in Darul Islam, a radical movement that called for the es- “When they kill Muslims, surely my heart is sad tablishment of Islamic law in Indonesia. Bashir as to why they do it. I like to make self defence to and Sungkar were imprisoned for nine years in protect them. We have to explain to the enemies the eighties for political disobedience and it has of NATO, U.S. or Israel to go out of Muslim coun- been argued that their period of incarceration try. Without fighting, they better leave, otherwise was the tipping point towards their adoption of by force, we will kick them out.” - Umar Patek radical Islam. This growing militancy was in paral- lel with the rise of other Islamic groups like the Introduction Muslim Brotherhood or the Palestinian Liberation On 12 October 2002, the terrorist group, al Ja- Organization throughout this period. In 1984- maah al Islamiyyah (JI), planted bombs in 1985 they also raised groups of volunteers to Paddy's Bar and the Sari Club in the Bali resort fight in Afghanistan. Originally, they assumed this of Kuta. The blasts killed 202 people from 21 would be good training for jihad for recruits once countries, including 88 Australians, 38 Indone- they returned to Indonesia. However, returning sians and 28 Britons. The attack was funded by recruits in fact influenced Bashir and Sungkar to Al Qaeda and originally planned to coincide with think in global terms – rather than just the re- the anniversary of 9/11. It was the worst terrorist gional context. Since then, the network has attack ever to take place in Southeast Asia. grown to include cells across the region, includ- ing in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Sin- One of the principal questions in terrorism studies gapore and Thailand. is “what are the factors that motivate individuals to participate, advocate, and support political vio- Bashir and Sungkar kept up to date with the lence?” The above quotes by Ali Imron and Umar Global Salafi jihad movement through their asso- Patek, both involved in the Bali bombing and self‐ ciates in Afghanistan. By the mid to late nineties, described mujahids/jihadists, provide some in- both were talking not only about establishing a sight into the working of violent extremist’s minds. Muslim state in Indonesia, but also a Daula This paper is based on personal interviews with Nusantra (a regional Pan-Islamist state). Imron and Patek at the Police Headquarters in Jakarta in April 2012. Understanding Umar Patek and Ali Imron’s Al Jamaah al Islamiyyah (JI) World View To understand Patek and Imron’s individual moti- Umar Patek was born in 1966 in Pemalang, Cen- vations it is also important to understand the JI tral Java. In the early nineties he joined JI and and Indonesian context. Al Jamaah al Islamiyyah trained in militant camps in Afghanistan before Counter Terrorist Trends and Analysis, Vol. 4, Iss. 9, 2012 Factors Motivating Terrorism and Political Violence 3 returning in the mid‐1990s to Indonesia. As a known as “Mukhlas”) and Ali Amrozi bin Haji member of JI he was known as “the demolition Nurhasyim, both of whom were convicted and man” as he specialised in assembling explo- executed for their roles in the bombing. sives. After the Bali attack he fled to the Philip- pines where he joined the Moro Islamic Libera- Throughout the interviews, it was evident that tion Front (MILF) and the Abu Sayyaf Group each of the men subscribed to the general JI (ASG) before moving to Pakistan to fight, or, in and Al Qaeda ideologies. However, each em- his own words, “wage jihad” against foreign phasized different aspects and it was over- forces in Afghanistan. On 25 January 2011, whelmingly evident that both had different per- Patek was captured in Abbottabad, Pakistan, spectives of “the cause”. the same city where Osama bin Laden was hid- ing, although Patek has denied ever meeting Disillusionment with Political Process him. He was extradited to Indonesia on 11 Au- gust 2011. Patek has been sentenced to 20 Both, of course, referenced political grievances years of imprisonment by the West Jakarta Dis- in varying degrees. Referring to non‐Muslims trict Court in June 2012 for his role in the Bali Patek said, bombings and for his role in the bombing of nine churches in Jakarta in 2000, which killed at least “They kill Muslims in Palestine and in 19 people. Among his charges are premeditated other places. About Palestine, I knew murder, bomb‐making and illegal firearms pos- from the newspapers and radio when I session. was in Sada camp in Pakistan. I heard about Pattani in 1991. I met Pattani Ali Imron was found guilty on 18 September people in Sada. They came for training. 2003 of planning the Bali attacks and is currently They told me about the massacre of serving life in prison in Indonesia. He is the Muslims in Pattani by the Thai military. I younger brother of Huda bin Abdul Haq (also felt sad when I heard. I did not say any- Ali Imron (left), sentenced to life imprisonment for the 2002 Bali bombings, at the trial of Umar Patek (right), at the West Jakarta District Court in Jakarta on 22 March 2012. Photo credit: Tatan Syu- flana / AP :http:// www.stamfordadvocate.co m/news/article/Militant- denies-making-Bali- bombs-at-trial- 3426394.php#ixzz250AA MEKD Counter Terrorist Trends and Analysis, Vol. 4, Iss. 9, 2012 Factors Motivating Terrorism and Political Violence 4 thing. About Bosnia and Chechnya, I Invoking Religion to Justify Acts of Violence knew from the radio when I stayed in Torkham camp in Afghanistan. They did In terms of religion, both men differed in their not teach in the class [at Sada]. I knew knowledge of theology and the extent to which it from news that Philippine military was motivated them. Perhaps because he has killing Moros. When I was fighting greater religious knowledge of the Quran and against the Philippine military, I saw because he was less motivated by political with my own eyes. Then I knew the ac- grievances, Imron greatly emphasized religious tual suffering. JI did not send me to the duty. Quoting from Verse 60 of surah Al‐Anfal in Philippines, I volunteered and went. the Quran, Imron argued that this was the key When they kill Muslims, surely my heart verse and also one of his key motivational texts. is sad as to why they do it. I like to per- He claimed “My ideology is the laws of Islam”. form self defence to protect them. We Patek also referenced the Quran but far less have to explain to the enemies - NATO, clearly and admitted “My theology is Surah al U.S. or Israel- to go out of Muslim coun- Tawbah… I forget the verse. I did not memo- tries. They better leave, without fighting. rize.” He explained that his limited knowledge of Otherwise, we will kick them out by religion was due to his poor education. But when force.” referring to other group members, he used their level of religious knowledge to rank them saying Patek spoke at length on this theme and within “Mukhlas, Ali Imron and Imam Samudra had a the overall context of the interview it appeared high level of theology, but Maulana was the that political grievances i.e. his perception of the same level or lower, and Heri Kuncoro is even global persecution of Muslims by the west (in lower [than me].” keeping with Al Qaeda’s narrative), particularly drove him toward radicalization. Furthermore, So, although religion is important for Patek, it is while Patek was moved by those stories he not his key narrative. Nevertheless, he does heard, actually seeing violence in reality selectively call upon it, using such verses as the strengthened his commitment further. Imron, on Surak al Tawbah, to justify violence. It is also the other hand rejected this outright saying “I am evident that one’s level of religious knowledge is not motivated by Muslim massacres”. important within the group itself and those with higher levels of knowledge garner greater re- Both also displayed disillusionment with the po- spect. For Imron, it seems that the restoration of litical process. For Patek, the only realistic solu- a strong Islam throughout Europe and the world tion to stop Muslim persecution is using force is chief among his priorities. He believes this against the enemy, referring to this several should be done by force but, at the same time, it times as “self‐defence”. Imron is also disillu- should strictly adhere to the rules laid out in the sioned with political and democratic processes Quran and the Sunnah.