Bin Laden’s death ‘does not pose a great risk’ on SE Asia

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Yassine Majdi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Thu, 05/12/2011 10:10 AM | World

Although Osama bin Laden has substantial influence among mujahideen (jihadists) across the world, including those in Southeast Asia, no repercussions are expected to result from his death earlier this month, experts agree.

Sidney Jones, International Crisis Group Indonesian senior adviser, said Bin Laden was an influence to mujahideen in Southeast Asia since his “fatwa in February in 1998 in the name of the World Islamic Front convinced many Southeast Asian mujahideen that the main enemies of Islam were America and its allies”. This fatwa led to the infamous bombings in Bali, and the attacks on the Australian Embassy and JW Mariott hotel, she said.

The 2002 attacks in Bali put Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) in the limelight. This organization, which was added by the UN Resolution 1267 to the list of the terrorist organizations linked to al-Qaeda, aims at establishing a caliphate that would include Indonesia, Malaysia, the Southern Philippines, Singapore and Brunei.

But, according to Jones the threat of an attempt to avenge Bin Laden’s death does not come from JI but “from men who have broken with JI or small groups who never had anything to do with it”.

“Those groups might attempt to avenge Bin Laden’s death with an attack but their chances of success are limited since their capacity of planning operations is not high,” Jones said.

One must wonder if Bin Laden’s death would trigger an interest in the jihadi cause in Southeast Asia. Jones said it was not likely since the recruitment depended more on local than international factors.

In fact, it seems that the attention on Bin Laden’s death has shifted for Southeast Asian jihadists. Their attention may have turned toward the trial of Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Ba’asyir, accused of setting up and financing a paramilitary camp in Aceh. Ba’asyir was described by some as the “Bin Laden of Indonesia”.

In a trial on Monday, prosecutors requested a life sentence for firebrand cleric Ba’asyir for his role in financing a terrorist military training camp in Aceh.

Earlier, Jakarta Islamic State University professor Ismail Hasani agreed that the death of Bin Laden would have no significant effect on local terrorists.

“I believe that most acts of local terrorism are spawned by domestic, sociopolitical issues such as social tensions and religious conflict, rather than an international terrorist agenda,” Ismail said.
He said there was a connection between local groups and Bin Laden’s network. “However, it exists only at the ideological level, not at the operational level,” he said.

Jones said Bin Laden was not the biggest influence on jihadists as Abdullah Azzam who died in 1989 had the biggest influence on them. In fact, the Palestinian theologist’s works are required reading by all Southeast Asian jihadists, Jones said.