ISIS eyeing Indonesia for 'distant caliphate': Australia

[lostinblue 1,989]

ISIS eyeing Indonesia for 'distant caliphate': Australia

Sydney: The Islamic State group is working to boost its presence in Indonesia with dreams of creating a "distant caliphate" in the world's most populous Muslim-majority country, Australia warned on Tuesday.

Attorney-General George Brandis, who spent Monday in meetings between Indonesian and Australian ministers, police chiefs and security officials, said it constituted a threat to Australian and Western interests.

"ISIS has ambitions to elevate its presence and level of activity in Indonesia, either directly or through surrogates," he told The Australian newspaper, referring to the jihadist group by another acronym.

"You've heard the expression the 'distant caliphate'?

"ISIS has a declared intention to establish caliphates beyond the Middle East, provincial caliphates in effect. It has identified Indonesia as a location of its ambitions."

Islamic State, which adheres to a fundamentalist doctrine of Sunni Islam, has already declared caliphates in several areas outside Syria and northern Iraq where it holds a swathe of territory.

Brandis' comments follow Indonesian police foiling plans for a suicide attack in Jakarta and arresting radicals linked to Islamic State.

Three-day raids across Java ending Sunday saw the confiscation of explosive materials and an IS-inspired flag as well as nine arrests.

The extremists were targeting shopping malls, police stations and minority groups across the country, Indonesia's national police chief said.

Security has been beefed up across the country, with senior ministers from Australia and Indonesia agreeing on Monday to boost intelligence sharing, including on terrorism financing, following bilateral talks in both Sydney and Jakarta.

The Australian newspaper said that while Australian authorities believed there was little chance IS could create a caliphate within Indonesia, they were deeply worried the terror group may establish a permanent foothold in the archipelago.

This could allow it to conduct attacks against Western or Australian interests within Indonesia and beyond.

Justice Minister Michael Keenan said the rise of jihadist groups had destabilised the security of both countries.

"The rise of ISIS in the Middle East is something that has destabilised the security of Australia, it's destabilised the security of Indonesia and it's destabilising the security of our friends and partners, particularly here in the region," he said.

Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority country, suffered several major bomb attacks by Islamic radicals between 2000 and 2009, including the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people.

A crackdown has weakened the most dangerous extremist networks although the emergence of IS has sparked alarm that Indonesians returning from battlefields in the Middle East could revive them.

Australia is equally concerned at the threat from those being radicalised.

Six attacks in Australia have been foiled over the past year, according to the government, but several have not, most recently in October when a police employee was shot dead by a 15-year-old reportedly shouting religious slogans.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/World/2015/Dec-22/328515-isis-eyeing-indonesia-for-distant-caliphate-australia.ashx

*

Edited December 24, 2015 by lostinblue

[The Nature Boy 7,659]

ISIS eyeing Indonesia for 'distant caliphate': Australia

Sydney: The Islamic State group is working to boost its presence in Indonesia with dreams of creating a "distant caliphate" in the world's most populous Muslim-majority country, Australia warned on Tuesday.

Attorney-General George Brandis, who spent Monday in meetings between Indonesian and Australian ministers, police chiefs and security officials, said it constituted a threat to Australian and Western interests.

"ISIS has ambitions to elevate its presence and level of activity in Indonesia, either directly or through surrogates," he told The Australian newspaper, referring to the jihadist group by another acronym.

"You've heard the expression the 'distant caliphate'?

"ISIS has a declared intention to establish caliphates beyond the Middle East, provincial caliphates in effect. It has identified Indonesia as a location of its ambitions."

Islamic State, which adheres to a fundamentalist doctrine of Sunni Islam, has already declared caliphates in several areas outside Syria and northern Iraq where it holds a swathe of territory.

Brandis' comments follow Indonesian police foiling plans for a suicide attack in Jakarta and arresting radicals linked to Islamic State.

Three-day raids across Java ending Sunday saw the confiscation of explosive materials and an IS-inspired flag as well as nine arrests.

The extremists were targeting shopping malls, police stations and minority groups across the country, Indonesia's national police chief said.

Security has been beefed up across the country, with senior ministers from Australia and Indonesia agreeing on Monday to boost intelligence sharing, including on terrorism financing, following bilateral talks in both Sydney and Jakarta.

The Australian newspaper said that while Australian authorities believed there was little chance IS could create a caliphate within Indonesia, they were deeply worried the terror group may establish a permanent foothold in the archipelago.

This could allow it to conduct attacks against Western or Australian interests within Indonesia and beyond.

Justice Minister Michael Keenan said the rise of jihadist groups had destabilised the security of both countries.

"The rise of ISIS in the Middle East is something that has destabilised the security of Australia, it's destabilised the security of Indonesia and it's destabilising the security of our friends and partners, particularly here in the region," he said.

Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim-majority country, suffered several major bomb attacks by Islamic radicals between 2000 and 2009, including the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202 people.

A crackdown has weakened the most dangerous extremist networks although the emergence of IS has sparked alarm that Indonesians returning from battlefields in the Middle East could revive them.

Australia is equally concerned at the threat from those being radicalised.

Six attacks in Australia have been foiled over the past year, according to the government, but several have not, most recently in October when a police employee was shot dead by a 15-year-old reportedly shouting religious slogans.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/World/2015/Dec-22/328515-isis-eyeing-indonesia-for-distant-caliphate-australia.ashx

That handful of radical islamist world wide sure get around, don't they ?

*

[Expat1 971]

Indonesia doesnt play around with radicals. I highly doubt that this is going very far.

[OnMyWayID 1,489]

The proper thing to do is ignore the problem and make fun of those that bring it up, that will make sure it will NEVER happen.

[Ban Hammer 13,716]

3 posts removed for personal attacks, 2 posts removed for quoting those posts.
one member thread banned.
discuss the topic and refrain from making insults towards other members.

[lostinblue 1,989]

Indonesia doesnt play around with radicals. I highly doubt that this is going very far.

What do they do in Indonesia that they are not doing in Europe ?

[Expat1 971]

What do they do in Indonesia that they are not doing in Europe ?

https://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Three_Indonesian_terrorists_executed_by_firing_squad_for_2002_Bali_bombing

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/11/03/indonesian-police-kill-alleged-militant-in-raid.html

[OriZ 3,157]

Indonesia doesnt play around with radicals. I highly doubt that this is going very far.

Hey way way back(like over 10 years ago) I used to know a young indonesian lady who was Christian, who told me life for her as a Christian in Indonesia was really hard. Is that true?

[Expat1 971]

Hey way way back(like over 10 years ago) I used to know a young indonesian lady who was Christian, who told me life for her as a Christian in Indonesia was really hard. Is that true?

It could be.

Indonesia has something like 15000 islands. There is one area (Aceh) that I know of for sure that is pretty conservative and indeed has two legal systems (as Malaysia does, one for Muslims and one for non-Muslims). Never been there, no reason to go. Had she grown up in Jakarta or Bandung or Bali or Padang or Sumatra I doubt she would have had a hard time. If she grew up in a rural conservative area then I'm sure she was given a hard time.

What I see as contrast between Indonesia overall and "some parts of the ME" (that was a good point you made the other day as the internet and social media is being monitored and cracked down on) is that extremism and religious persecution is not government sanctioned and is not official policy and every effort to add religious law to the constitution or make it the basis for the constitution hasn't even reached the floor for a vote. In that I find it refreshingly like the US - many and in some areas the majority might want to make it difficult for people who do not believe the way the majority believes but the constitution won't ever be changed to allow them to do so on an official basis, leaving unofficial action for them, which I suspect is what your friend probably experienced.

Hope that wasn't convoluted. I'll be relaxing in Bahrain next week and in a better position to answer clearly and specifically on differences in practice and beliefs between the two regions.

Edited December 26, 2015 by Expat1

[ready4ONE 5,400]

3 posts removed for personal attacks, 2 posts removed for quoting those posts.

one member thread banned.

discuss the topic and refrain from making insults towards other members.

Charles you know that I love you but how did my question, now deleted, qualify by any measure as a 'personal attack?'

[Expat1 971]

I don't think it was you

[ready4ONE 5,400]

I don't think it was you

I don't think so either but my question got nuked in the scrum. No big deal but curious about what responses I got that got my post removed. Ah well. Charles is generally fair and I know being a mod is not always easy.

[OriZ 3,157]

It could be.

Indonesia has something like 15000 islands. There is one area (Aceh) that I know of for sure that is pretty conservative and indeed has two legal systems (as Malaysia does, one for Muslims and one for non-Muslims). Never been there, no reason to go. Had she grown up in Jakarta or Bandung or Bali or Padang or Sumatra I doubt she would have had a hard time. If she grew up in a rural conservative area then I'm sure she was given a hard time.

What I see as contrast between Indonesia overall and "some parts of the ME" (that was a good point you made the other day as the internet and social media is being monitored and cracked down on) is that extremism and religious persecution is not government sanctioned and is not official policy and every effort to add religious law to the constitution or make it the basis for the constitution hasn't even reached the floor for a vote. In that I find it refreshingly like the US - many and in some areas the majority might want to make it difficult for people who do not believe the way the majority believes but the constitution won't ever be changed to allow them to do so on an official basis, leaving unofficial action for them, which I suspect is what your friend probably experienced.

Hope that wasn't convoluted. I'll be relaxing in Bahrain next week and in a better position to answer clearly and specifically on differences in practice and beliefs between the two regions.

Okay. No it wasn't Convoluted. I do believe that she was actually from Jakarta however I'm not entirely sure. It wasn't anything official as far as I can recall, just basically people's attitudes towards her. Have fun in Bahrain!

[TBoneTX 46,379]

A noncontributory post has been removed.

[Expat1 971]

A noncontributory post has been removed.

Lol that one deserved to be removed but it was funny