Indonesian Cleric Ba'asyir Launches New Hard-Line Group

By Kenneth Conboy

After a falling out with the Indonesian Mujahidin Council (which he previously headed), militant Indonesian cleric Abu Bakar Ba’asyir formally inaugurated a new hard-line organization in Bekasi, West Java, on 19 September. The new organization is called Jamaah Anshorud Tauhid (JAT), which roughly translates as “Savior Community.” The paramilitary Islamic Defender's Front sent several busloads of members from its chapters in Jakarta, Solo, and Indramayu to attend this inaugural ceremony.

If JAT is anything like the Indonesian Mujahidin Council Ba'asyir previously led, it will be extremely anti-West in outlook. There are fears that the rhetoric of Ba'asyir, as well as other conservative clerics, will go more shrill if and when the three convicted Bali bombers are executed (which is likely to take place after the Idul Fitri holiday in early October).

TrackBack