Terrorism and Political Violence - Jemmah Islamiyah Group - Essay Example

Terrorism and Political Violence Name Institution Date Terrorism and Political Violence Jemmah Islamiyah (JI) Group Introduction The definition of terrorism is considered as relative and therefore varies from one circumstance to the other. Terrorism may be defined as act of violence that has the intention of generating fear among individuals. The terrorism acts are generally performed for political, ideological or religious objectives. Hence in this case terrorism is regarded with both political and emotional aspects. Terrorism action has been performed by various forms of political organization for the purposes of achieving their political objectives. In most cases the victims of terrorism are targeted not for the reason that they pose as threats rather for the fact that terrorism aims at instilling fear among the population (Mahan & Griset 2008).Through the process of suffering terrorists are able to instill fear among the population and sustaining their demands of either major religious or political programs. Jemaah Islamiya denoted as (JI) is considered as an Indonesia established terrorist system or group that was founded in the early 1990s. Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) is therefore a militant Islamist group with the main objective of establishing a pan-Islamic state transversely the Southeast Asian countries. The group is believed to have plotted and attacked the United States and western states in Indonesia, Singapore and Philippines that form the major target of the group. The essay will discuss terrorism and political violence in relation to the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) and the counter terrorism strategies that have been engaged to neutralize the group (Surrette, 2009). Jemmah Islamiyah (JI) Group and Counter-Terrorism Measures The Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) is considered as a terrorist association has an outstanding history in Darul Islam. The group is further believed to have affiliated groups across the world. In this sense the group is regarded as the most hazardous terrorist group in the South East Asia region. The group has its basis in Indonesia with regional forms of network in the Philippines, Singapore, and Malaysia. The arrests measure in regarded to the group not effective in the counter terrorism efforts. Hence the apprehension of the organization’s members although it has crippled the network of the group is not enough for the counter measures of the group. There is need to understand the threats posed by the group and the effective measures to be applied. The threats of the groups evolve with time and therefore the need to employ effective measures. According to Bunker (2005) JI is a group that engages in terrorism activities through the form of religious inspiration. The group as a terrorism organization engages in the use of violent means for achievement of sacred duty. The group is connected to the religious forms of ideology that is linked to the Al-Qaeda terrorist group and other associated organizations worldwide. The group has a core objective of destruction of Western allies through the use of violence for the establishment of pan-Islamic regions (Bunker, 2005). Terrorism within the political contexts are generally organized by groups for the purpose of achieve a political gain through instilling fear to the general population. Jemaah Islamiyah that means Islamic Community was formed in 1993. The group is believed to have been formed earlier but was not using the violent means until 1993 when the group advocated for violent means for attaining their goals. The group engaged in the recruitment and training process of extremists for the objective of terrorist acts in Southeast Asia. The group has been known for various terrorist plot attacks within the Western countries and other countries in the region. For instance the October 2005 bombings were attributed to the group. The type of bombings was considered as suicide in Bali whereby approximately twenty individuals lost their lives while 129 were injured. Another example of the group involvement in terrorist activities include suicide car bombing in September 2004 outside the Australian Embassy that involved the death of three individuals and more than 100 wounded (Surrette, 2009). In an effort to counter the terrorism activities of the group the authorities of various countries that the group forms as the main target has involved in major arrests of JI operatives. Hence prior to the Bali bombing the Indonesian authorities has engaged in a series of investigations in relation to the group and its forms of activities. In addition the Philippine governed has also engaged in a crackdown in regards to the group and its activities. Through its efforts the anti-terror experts engaged in the struck of a major blow against the group through the arrest of its operational leader in Thailand in 2003. In addition the series of events followed whereby the group’s leader was arrested together with several group members. Furthermore three out of the four key suspects of the 2002 occurrence were executed in Indonesia in 2008 (Ridley & Ridley 2012). Jemaah Islamiyah is considered as a precarious group as a result of its more developed and supple network orientations with drastic Muslims groups in the Western region. Martin (2003) argues that initially the group existed but was not radical in its forms of operation but the presence of jihad elevated the group to a more treacherous in terms of its operations. The dynamic nature of the group has been catalyzed by the fact that the jihad militant group has offered some forms of support to the group. Hence the group has drawn a lot of resources and support from the radical Muslims in terms of personnel and operational necessities (Martin, 2003). The Philippines is considered to have a population of an enormous Muslim minority within the South and West of the state. In this regard there has been an insurgence in various Muslim groups as a way of agitation against the government of the day. Within the country there is the presence of two most radical groups that has made cooperation with the Jemaah Islamiyah in its activities of terrorism. These two hard-line groups include the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Abu Sayaaf Group (ASG). The MILF was formed as a separate group from the MNLF after the split of the original group. The MILF has the main objective of creating an Islamic state that would form as a method of incorporating the entire Muslim population in the Philippines state (Gross, 2012). The Southern Philippines has encountered a lot of terrorist activities within the South East Asia region. In this case the Philippines has been the main target of diverse international terrorism. This is attributed to the forms of capital, networking, employing and organization by the Muslim extremists. In addition the vulnerability of Philippines has encouraged the thrive in terrorism activities. Philippines has had a difficulty in the process of upholding a central form of government especially the control in the Southern parts of Philippines has greatly enhanced the generation of terrorist training encampments. As a result there is a great concern in relation to the expansion of the relationship between Philippines and the groups involved in the Muslim uprising. The major Muslim insurgence groups within the Philippines include the Moro Islamic Liberation Front denoted as MNLF and the Abu Sayyaf Group. The MNLF signed a peace agreement with the government and therefore the group is not considered as a derail in peace and national stability. An enhanced collaboration among various groupings in Philippines has been generated by the efforts of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) (Mahan & Griset 2008). Forms of training together with the logistics issue are the main focus of the JI. JI has therefore engaged in the cooperation process with both the two major groups in the Philippines. The Philippine government has acknowledged the fact that the a few components within the MNLF are in the process of developing linkages with JI. In the signing of the peace accord with the MNLF the government regarded the breakage of the link between MILF and Jemaah Islamiyah as an essential precondition that needs to be fulfilled and adhered by the group (MILF). The relationship and the linkages between the Jemaah Islamiyah and the MILF were confirmed after the seizure of one of the Jemaah Islamiyah member Fathur Rahman in 2002. During his capture he admitted that he was engaged with the association of JI and the MILF in various aspects of bombings in Manila in 2000. Philippines engaged in the establishment of a national anti-terrorism team. Therefore the anti-terrorism taskforce made several arrests of the Abu Sayyaf organization in 2004. One of the suspects that were arrested by the task force owned up responsibility for the 2004 Superferry fire that involved the killings of over 100 Filipinos. In addition several arrests were made in relation to the prominent financiers of the both Jemaah Islamiyah and other groups. The range of terrorism activities in Philippines included various forms of kidnappings of foreign tourists mainly from Sipadan Island in 2000 and the bombings in Zamboanga City in the year 2002 (Cooper, 2001). There has been a widespread regional collaboration in relation to the fight against terrorism related activities across the world. This is due to the fact that global governments have acknowledged the gravity of the terrorism as a global problem. Indonesia has therefore engaged in the process of enforcing fresh terrorism laws that facilitate to counter the threats that terrorism pose. The counter terrorism laws are both reflected in the national and international level. The issues of terrorism cannot be tackled effectively at the national level therefore the need for cooperation between countries in relation to enacting the counter terrorism laws. Cooperation between different nations is essential for effective anti-terrorism campaigns globally (Martin, 2003). The threats posed by the JI as a terrorist organization has since been neutralized. However despite the neutralization of the group the extent of the threat posed by the group still remains important in the modern world. In order to deal effectively with the dynamic nature of terrorism and its activities there is need for an integrated approach that will encompass the deterrence, safeguard and reaction mechanisms to the threat of terrorism. In relation to the prevention mechanisms most countries for instance Indonesia and Philippines have engaged in the use of diplomacy and intelligence strategies. In addition there has been the need to update the current law for the purposes of implementing the transnational legal tools and the improvement together with the coordination of national level fight against terrorism related activities (Surrette, 2009). The acts of terrorism mainly take place in circumstances whereby the ideological incentive is related to the operative competence. A terrorist group shapes the perception of the world view in relation to the audiences. The worldview is therefore shaped by public relations between the audience and the group. The use of propaganda among the terrorist group enhances the public into terrorist sympathizers and therefore in the process mobilization of the terrorist enthusiasts and recruiting of terrorist members into the organization. In Philippines and Indonesia propaganda was used so as to gain sympathy from the general public. The gaining of public sympathy led to the massive recruitment of the organization’s members as a result of public sympathy. The public therefore needs to be incorporated in the fight against terrorism for success to be achieved. There is a lot of evidence in the countries such as Indonesia, Philippines and Singapore in the seriousness of the public in relation to terrorism and its activities. This is evident by the fact that there is an increase in the number of calls made to the authorities of the suspicious acts that may be related to terrorism. The public should be made aware of the emergency forms of procedures that is necessary in the vent of a terrorist bomb or activities of a particular terrorist organization (Bunker, 2005). In order to efficiently counter terrorism activities and terrorism groups an ideological type of response is essential. This is due to the fact that Jemmah Islamiyah (JI) as a terrorist organization has been linked to diverse terrorist groups. For instance the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) has been linked with to the Al Qaeda terrorist groups that have been involved in various forms of terrorist attacks in the Western regions. Both the Al Qaeda have confessed aiding the suspects of September 11, 2001 hijackers while engaging in attacks against the Western aims. A series of terrorists attacks followed with the September 2001 bombing in October 2002 in Bali resulted to various forms of crackdown by the respective forms of government. This led to the weakening of JI terrorist group and its concentration in Indonesia and Southern Philippines. The counter response to terrorism led to JI as a group defining a strategy for its survival (Cooper, 2001). One of the major strategies employed in the fight against Jemaah Islamiyaah as a terrorist threat varied in terms of the intensity of the concern of terrorism globally. Various countries such as Indonesia and Philippines engaged in massive arrests of the group’s leaders and its members. The world superpower United States was involved in the counter terrorism through funding and training of elite Indonesia to deal with terrorism concern. In addition there was deployment of troops to the Southern Philippine through the use of military combat in the fight against the insurgence group of Abu Sayyaf Group. In response to the terrorism groups Philippines engaged in the crackdown and sharing of intelligence information together with United States and Australia. Indonesian government has been aggressive in terms of dealing with the terrorist groupings in its context (Tan, 2007). In relation to counter terrorism strategies the Philippines engaged in a policy of application of military pressure to neutralize the Jemaah Islamiyah group. The United Stated supported the strategy used by Philippines in the fight against JI as a terrorist organization in Philippines. The United States therefore engaged in sending its troops in the Southern Philippines. The troops were meant to apply military pressure in suppressing Abu Sayyaf with links to the Jemaah Ismiyaah. The United States troops played a major role of provision of intellect and communication enhancement to the military in dealing with the terrorist group. The Abu Sayyaf as a terrorist group linked to the JI was therefore suppressed through the military as most of its leaders were killed hence weakening the group (Schneider, Post & Kindt 2009). The involvement of the Unites States in the fight against the JI and other related terrorist groups was considered as both positive and negative form of achievement. The military support offered neutralized and group together with its links. Despite the success achieved in the fight against the terrorist group there was a strong opposition in relation to the presence of United States military forces. This was as a result of the Pentagon in 2009 making official announcements of its intention to keep the military presence in Philippines within an unspecified period of time. The announcement therefore led to a series of bombings among the military and the Philippines civilians. Therefore the main form of counter terrorism in relation to JI used by the Philippines and Indonesia involved the use of military pressure in a bid to suppress the terrorist activities in the respective countries ((Gross, 2012). Both the Philippines and Indonesia are dependent on various laws in its efforts in counter terrorism strategies. The most common type of law applied by Philippines involves the controversial law that was formulated. The law permits the arrest of suspicious individuals without charge up to a period of two years. The law has created a lot of humanitarian cry as it is argued that arresting individuals without charge amounts to the infringe of an individual’s basic rights and freedom. However the proponents of the law argue that the laws gives way for the suppression of terrorist activities as most of the perceived terrorists members of various groups and organization will be arrested. Hence in order to effectively counter the terrorism activities such laws are important to safeguard the internal security of a country against such insurgence such as the Jemaah Islamiyaah (Vanderheiden, 2005). In addition major counter-terrorism laws were effected in various countries globally in March 2007. One of the laws offers for the loss of assets that are believed to be related to terrorists. The laws also provides for the prosecution of individuals who are considered as the main financiers of various terrorist groupings. Therefore an individual who engage in the support of terrorists financially and expand the surveillance of suspects involves the essential laws that need to be followed in the process of countering the terrorism acts and threats (Josephi, 2004). Major breakthroughs have been achieved in the fight against terrorism through the use of various forms of strategies. Since 2009 the internet has been incorporated in the fight against terrorism. The use of internet as a counter terrorism strategy involves the development of internet filtering procedure to combat crime and terrorism. However the process was deemed as not successful due to the fact that information may be leaked to the wrong individuals or terrorist group itself. Information leakage through the use of internet plays as a major challenge in the use of internet to fight the activities of terrorism (Bunker, 2005). Most of the suspects linked with major terrorism activities are linked to the Jemaah Islamiyaah and Philippines based Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). In this sense the Philippines authorities have launched massive aggressive operations to fight against the JI and other related terrorist groups. The internal security Act provides for the arrest and prosecution of members of the terrorists groupings. Hence a lot of suspected Islamic militants have been arrested with the majority being regarded as the sympathizers of JI terrorist group. In addition the law also provides for the protection and enhancement of the security of a particular state or nation. This is due to the fact that essential facilities such as ports form the major target of terrorists groups. The vulnerability of such place has therefore necessitated for a law that will protect the vulnerable places from terrorist attacks and activities. Various measures have been put into place to protect these areas. The measures include camera surveillance of the vulnerable public places such as ports and embassies (Bunker, 2005). This will ensure that the terrorism threat is contained as the presence of military and enhancement of security campaigns will lock away potential terrorists and their activities. Diplomacy is also another important strategy that is aimed at counteracting the terrorism activities in various countries. The weapons used by terrorists are becoming sophisticated each day. The strategy of diplomacy aims at winning back the hearts and minds of individuals resulting to the defeat of Islamists. This is reflected in the fact that just like in any other form of organization there is need for survival in terms of recruitment and support both financially and in terms of weapons. In a bid to avert terrorists from impacting negatively on the public the terrorist group is criminalized together with the target terrorist sustenance systems (Mahan & Griset 2008). Cooperation efforts between the different law enforcement stakeholders also play an important role in fighting against terrorism in the South East Asia region. Cooperation is required due to the fact that terrorism as a threat affects every country globally. The issue of terrorism is not confined to one particular country or nation. There is need for cooperation at the international level for the basis of fighting the activities of terrorism. The extent of the terrorism threat is diverse and varies from one country to the other in terms of scope. The increased collaboration in the law enforcement and intelligence will in turn help in disrupting the activities of terrorism groups (Crenshaw, 1998). For instance through the efforts off increased cooperation in terms of law enforcement and intelligence information terrorist organizations from Thailand to Philippines have been interrupted. Furthermore the arrests made in Cambodia were achieved as a result of cooperation between several countries within the South East Asia. Some countries however oppose to the cooperation in terms of law enforcement and intelligence. This is due to the fact that it is believed that each country should participate in the formulation of the laws of the land and safeguard its sover9gnity in terms of intelligence form of information. The opposition in terms of cooperation among countries has played a role in derailing the fight against the acts and activities of terrorists across the globe (Martin, 2003). Just like the Islamist organizations are highly dependent on each other for support the same applies for the counter terrorism strategies. In order to counter the developing threats of terrorism it is essential for countries to collaborate with each other. Cooperation between different countries with will strengthen the military and intelligence capacities. Collaboration therefore should be structured in such a way that it encompasses various aspects such as synchronization of legislation, exchange of personnel, information sharing and experience together with combined forms of operations. International cooperation as a counter terrorism strategy plays an important and fundamental role globally. The Islamist organizations have acquired the aspect of coordination among themselves. The same too must be applied by government as a counter terrorism measure (Gross, 2012). Hence synchronized regional procedures have been generated for the purpose of prevention of terrorists from obtaining refuge within the region. The main issue of terrorists is in regards to mobility as observed by the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) when the group relocated to Thailand and Indonesia as it was considered as a target in Malaysia in 2001. The Governments of Southeast Asia should engage in coordination in terms of counter terrorists activities such that the region develops non-tolerance terrorism puzzle. The countries that are regarded as being against the established code should be punished. The fundamentals of cooperation between the different countries in Southeast Asia should be in terms of security, intelligence information, law implementation and the judiciary (Ridley & Ridley 2012). Conclusion The terrorism threat confronting many countries for instance Thailand, Philippines and Indonesia differs in the aspect of nature and measure. Majority of the population are therefore Muslim tolerant. This has given rise to various Islamic groups that are considered as terrorism grouping. The minority Muslim population engages in the use of threats and violence for the purpose of attaining political influence and generating Islamic states. Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) is regarded as a militant form of grouping that is active in various Southeast Asia countries for instance Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines among others. In Indonesia the JI was linked to the Al Qaeda and engaged in several bombing attacks in various countries. The JI is therefore considered as an anti-Western terrorist group. Efforts have been made in form of counter-terrorism strategies in a bid to fight the threat of terrorism in various countries. In Indonesia and Philippines several laws were enacted to enhance the counter terrorism activities and neutralize the group. Several arrests and detention of the group leaders and members were made that engaged in neutralizing the group. In addition several laws were enforced to deal with the terrorism threat. Cooperation between different countries in terms of law enforcement and intelligence information plays a crucial role in fighting the problem of terrorism not only in the Southeast Asia but globally. More needs to be done due to the fact that terrorists groups continue developing as a response to the region and governments counter-terrorism determination. Hence upholding political will in the fight against terrorism is crucial. The sympathizer and supporters of JI and other groups are in existence in most parts of the region. Radicals argue that this form of existence will appeal to the minority Muslim population to be recruited as members of these groups. Counteracting this view is not only important to the governments but also the key stream Muslim groupings. Reference Martin, G. (2003). Understanding Terrorism: Challenges, Perspectives, and Issues. Sage Publications: California. Mahan, S. and P. Griset. (2008). Terrorism in Perspective. 2ndEdition. Sage Publications: California. Bunker, R. (2005). Introduction and Overview: Why Response Networks? In Bunker, R. 2005. Xx-1. Networks, Terrorism and Global Insurgency. Routledge: Oxon. Josephi, B. (2004). Media Terrorism or Culture of Peace: Reporting September 11. In Venkatraman, S. 2004. 34-53. Media in a Terrorised World: Reflections in the Wake of 911. Eastern Universities Press: Singapore. Vanderheiden, S. (2005). Eco-Terrorism or Justified Resistance? 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