Faith and Politics The Rise of the Laskar Jihad in the Era of Transition in Indonesia

Jul 6, 2026

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Faith and Politics analyzes the resurgence of political Islam in Indonesia at the turn of the twenty-first century, linking it to a multidimensional socio-political and economic crisis. The study highlights the proliferation of Muslim paramilitary groups, their use of religious symbols, and their visible mobilization through street actions and demands for Islamic sharia. It focuses on the Laskar Jihad, tracing its creation and contextualizing its emergence through historical, theological, sociological, and political lenses.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages26

Reading Time1 h 6 min

Introduction

The Laskar Jihad and Similar Groups

INDONESLCCORNELL Faith and Politics:The Rise of the Laskar Jihad in the Era of Transition in IndonesiaAuthor(s):Noorhaidi Hasan Source:Indonesia,No.73(Apr.,2002),pp.145-169 Published by:Cornell University Press;Southeast Asia Program Publications at CornellUniversity Stable URL:https://www.jstor.org/stable/3351472Accessed:23-10-201908:05 UTC REFERENCES Linked references are available on JSTOR for this article: https://www jstor.org/stable/3351472?seq=1&cid=pdf-reference\#references_tab_contentsYou may need to log in to JSTOR to access the linked references. JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars,researchers,and students discover,use,and build upon a widerange of content in a trusted digital archive.We use information technology and tools to increase productivity andfacilitate new forms of scholarship.For more information about JSTOR,please contact support@jstor.org. Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms &Conditions of Use,available athttps://about.jstor.org/terms Southeast Asia Program Publications at Cornell University,Cornell University Pressare collaborating with JSTOR to digitize,preserve and extend access to Indonesia # FAITH AND POLITICS:THE RISE OFTHE LASKAR JIHAD IN THE ERA OFTRANSITION IN INDONESIA¹ Noorhaidi Hasan ## Introduction The turn of the twenty-first century witnessed the eruption of Islam into thepolitical landscape of the Indonesian nation-state.Signs of this reassertion of politicalIslam might be seen in a variety of social movements that utilize Islam as a discursivecenter,ranging from the establishment of Islamic political parties to mounting demandsfor the implementation of the Islamic shari a,Muslim jurisprudence.More dramatically,the resurfacing of political Islam on the recent political scene of Indonesia,after theoutbreak of a multidimensional socio-political and economic crisis,has beendemonstrated by the emergence of a number of Muslim paramilitary groups,characterized by their distinctive appearance:wearing certain uniforms and carryingdifferent kinds of weapons.Exploiting religious symbols,they behave as if they aremilitary men and have conducted a variety of radical actions in the public sphere.Thisphenomenon undoubtedly spreads a sort of privatized militancy and violence. Amongst a dozen such Muslim paramilitary groups,three major groups haverecently come to the fore and made headlines by taking to the streets to demand theimplementation of the Islamic sharia,conducting razzias at cafés,discotheques,andcasinos,and,most importantly,sending thousands of militia troops to the Moluccanislands.These three major active groups are the Laskar Jihad (the Jihad ParamilitaryForce),the Laskar Pembela Islam (the Paramilitary Force of the Defender of Islam), 'Iam grateful to a number of people who read the earlier drafts of this article and gave invaluable,criticalcomments,particularly Martin van Bruinessen,M.Khalid Masud,and Johan Hendrik Meuleman. and the Laskar Mujahidin Indonesia(the Indonesian Holy Warrior Paramilitary Force).They have complemented and facilitated the development of similar militant youthgroups organized by a number of political parties,mass organizations,and the rulingregime.Among these groups are the Pemuda Pancasila (Pancasila Youth),the BarisanPemuda Ka'bah (Ka'ba Youth Squad),the Satgas PDIP(Task Force of IndonesianDemocratic Party-Struggle),the Banser Anshor(Anshor Assistance Unit for AllPurposes),the Pamswakarsa(Self-Service Security Force),the Pendekar Banten(Banten Warriors),the Gerakan Pemuda Islam(Muslim Youth Movement),the FrontHizbullah(God's Army Front),and the Front Pemuda Islam(The Front of MuslimYouth). The sudden proliferation of these Muslim paramilitary groups has certainlyattracted the notice of many observers at home and abroad.Many of them speculate,without any attempt to give a critical assessment,that this proliferation is due simplyto the attempts of some military and civilian pers

FAQs

Why does the document focus on the Laskar Jihad specifically?

It treats the Laskar Jihad as the most ambitious and radical manifestation of political Islam in Indonesia, examining how the group was created and how it emerged amid major post-crisis changes.

Jul 6, 2026

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