special volume, issue 2 / march 2016

The Habibie CenterASEAN Studies Program

ASEAN BRIEFS

Special Volume, Issue 2 / March 2016

SUMMARY/BRIEF

In the wake of the attack that hit the heart of Jakarta - the Indonesian capital as well as the home of the ASEAN Secretariat - earlier this year, people are reminded that the threat of terrorism and other forms of violence justified under the pretense of religion is still very much alive in the country as well as in Southeast Asia. Worryingly, the ASEAN region continues to produce terrorists even after active efforts by multiple governments to counter their rise. Indeed, this region has become a magnet for terrorist organizations outside the area to look for potential recruits. Not too long ago, a video from ISIS surfaced where a group of Southeast Asian people led by an Indonesian called upon their fellow citizens to join them. In this context it is important to revisit the strategies that have been implemented to counter terrorism and religious extremism in past years. This policy brief will do so by focusing on the example given by civil society in Indonesia.

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The Habibie CenterASEAN Studies Program ASEAN Briefs

Project Supervisor: Rahimah Abdulrahim (Executive Director) Hadi Kuntjara (Deputy Director for Operations)

Head of ASEAN Studies Program/Editor: A. Ibrahim Almuttaqi

Researcher: Fina Astriana Muhamad Arif Askabea Fadhilla

Finance and Administration: Mila Oktaviani Design and Publication: Rahma Simamora

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ASEAN Briefs is a regular publication about current developments on ASEAN regionalism, especially in the Political-Security, Economic as well as Socio - Cultural Pillars.

The Role of Civil Society in Countering Religious Extremism in ASEAN: Lessons Learned from

Indonesia

ASEAN Studies Program ASEAN Briefs 2 The Habibie Center

The Role of Civil Society

Civil society organizations are potentially important players that can supplement other efforts by the government in their fight against terrorism. For example, it is widely believed that progressive religious scholars and preachers—rather than government agencies--are instrumental in countering extremist religious narratives. They are, after all, well equipped with the methodology and knowledge of interpreting religion texts.1

In the case of Indonesia the role of civil society is even more relevant. The country has a number of religious civil society organizations such as Muhammadiyah, Nahdhatul Ulama (NU), and Sarikat Islam (SI) that were established long before the country declared independence in 1945. For example, Sarikat Islam was set up in 1905, Nahdhatul Ulama in 1912, and Muhammdiyah in 1926. Moreover, these religious organizations are widely regarded as progressive and moderate in nature. According to one scholar, Nurdin (2005),

“Both the NU and Muhammadiyah have proved themselves to be essentially moderate, however. They provide a significant platform for the national ideals of tolerance and plurality, and are widely regarded as bulwarks against religious extremism in Indonesia.”2

They are also widely spread throughout the nation. This highlights the point that progressive and moderate Islam in Indonesia has deep historical roots. In regard to countering religious extremism and violence, this progressive and moderate root translates into an active participation by civil society in promoting these values. Indeed, there are a number of well documented activities in Indonesia that provide useful insight into the way civil society can help in countering religious extremism and violence.

Best Practices and Lessons Learned

1. Mata Tertutup (The Blindfold), Film, 2011

Blindfold is a drama movie that tells the fictional story of three people whose lives intertwined with religious extremism. There is a story of Rima, a girl in search of identity as she stumbles into the Negara Islam Indonesia (Indonesian Islamic State/NII) movement, becomes its top recruiter, and ultimately ends up disillusioned with its movement. It tells the story of Jabir, a teenager who had to quit school because of financial difficulties and swerve into radical religious groups in search of his purpose in life. It also tells the story of Asimah, a mother who is desperately searching for her only child, Aini, who was kidnapped by radical religious group.

While the story is fictional, it was inspired by real life events. As an organization focusing on religious pluralism and tolerance in Indonesia, The Maarif Institute is familiar with the practice of recruitment by religious extremists as well as causes of radicalization. Indeed, the film was set to be more than just a cinematic piece of art but as a media of campaign that aims to counter the narratives of religious fundamentalism and violence through “public advocacy, critical education, and popular media.”3

The film was widely released by major cinema chains in Indonesia, and it also saw screenings in schools across Indonesia. However, despite of the success of the production the film only had a short silver screen run. Indeed, it was only screened for two days. The film’s sensitive context has been cited as reason.4

2. Ketika Nurani Bicara (When the Conscience Speaks), Graphic Novel, 2010

Image 1. The blindfold film poster

Image 2. ‘When Conscience Speaks’ book cover


Ketika Nurani Bicara (When Conscience Speaks) is a graphic novel that was published by Lazuardi Birru, an NGO that focused on promoting the message of moderate Islam and religious tolerance. The graphic novel follows the real life story of Ali Imron, one of the main culprits of the 2002 Bali Bombing. He was said to be the engineer that devised the explosives.5

The novel recounts how Ali Imron found his conscience based on careful research in which the team from Lazuardi Birru directly interviewed Imron. It is interesting to note that the research process took around a year to complete. One of the major challenges was the difficulty in approaching Imron to retell his story and his regrets in details.6

This graphic novel managed to brought forward an up-close and personal look on the life of a former terrorist: where he came from, why he did it, and how he came to realize that what he did was wrong. Indeed, in the end of the day this graphic novel is a story of precaution, so that the future generations do not thread on the same path that Imron did.

3. Kutemukan Makna Jihad (I Find the Meaning of Jihad), Graphic Novel 2011

experience within the Indonesian government counter-terrorism program, where he was deradicalized and then helped the police by informing them on the inner workings of Jemaah Islamiyah.7

“I want children to learn from my mistakes”, Abbas said.8

Both ‘Ketika Nurani Bicara’ and ‘Kutemukan Makna Jihad’ have been introduced to school teacher as learning materials. According to Lazuardi Birru, the two novels also contain information on the recruitment practice of radical religious group which will help students understand the issue better.9 Additionally, they are also widely distributed through public libraries in Indonesia.

Unfortunately, despite the seemingly successful programs of Lazuardi Birru, the organization is currently inactive. The organization’s website and social media account are currently dormant and its previous members have not responded to inquiries for this policy brief.

4. Re-assimilation into society through restaurant, ongoing program

What will former terrorists do after they finish their term of imprisonment? This question is perhaps what guided Noor Huda Ismail and his Yayasan Prasasti Perdamaian (Peace Monument Foundation) to start a program which provides ex-detainees a chance to assimilate back into society through meaningful employment at a restaurant.

A restaurant was chosen after Huda faced failures in his previous initiatives. When Huda tried to give ex-detainees employment at a fish farm and car rental companies, they did not stay in their positions for any meaningful amount of time. Moreover, when he tried to provide ex-detainees employment at a t-shirt printing, the individuals ended up printing terrorist slogans. As such a restaurant was chosen to address one factor that did not exist in these previous initiatives: social interactions.10

According to Huda, “Most terrorists are driven by the need for friendship and meaning, and if they can’t find that when they leave prison, they will regroup and go back to their old ways.”11

Opportunities and Challenges

The four examples above have their own opportunities and challenges. They targeted different audience through different means. The film Mata Tertutup aimed to target wide audience through popular media and commercial venues. It has the potential to truly reach audience of different age and social background. However, the spread of the film apparently met with problem owing to its discussion of locally sensitive context.

Meanwhile, the two novels have narrower target: school students. They are using creative outlets that are

Image 3. ‘I Find the Meaning of Jihad’ book cover

This time Lazuardi Birru published a graphic novel that tells the story of Nasir Abbas, a former member of Muslim militant group Jemaah Islamiyah. The graphic novel follows the journey of Abbas as he went from a student at an Islamic boarding school to helping train Muslim militants—some of whom were responsible in conducting terrorist attacks in Indonesia, including the 2002 Bali bombings. The graphic novel also followed his


more easily digested by younger audience as a mean to communicate their message. In the span of their program, they seem to have managed to reach their intended audience, including by equipping teachers with their graphic novels and the message behind it, potentially reaching a wider impact. However, the program also met with challenges as it is currently no longer running. As such there is a clear problem with sustainability and continuity.

The final program exhibited on this policy brief is much narrower in scope. However, it is the one with the most visible impact as well as the most sustainable. While it only targets people who were convicted of being involved in religious extremism, they have managed to ensure that these group of people stay away from re-engaging with their former circles. So far, this program has established a bakery, two restaurants, and several smaller food stalls that are either managed by ex-detainees or employ them.12

The success of Nur Huda’s project is in line with previous researches. For example, a study conducted on ex-religious extremists disengagement with their former groups in Poso suggested that there are a number of reasons for their disengagement, such as: their own cost benefit analysis, new relationship with individuals outside their former social circles, family pressures, changing professional and personal priorities, and disillusionment with tactics or leaders.13

It should be noted that the Indonesian Government has been successful in breaking terrorist cells and jailing them. However, it has been less successful in deradicalizing them and integrating them back into society. Indeed, one of the perpetrators of the Jakarta 2016 attacks, Afif Sunakim, had recently been released from prison having served a seven-year sentence for attending a militant camp in Aceh. Worryingly, though Afif Sunakim was released early having received remissions for showing “good behavior”, in reality he appeared to have been radicalized while in prison.14 15

Quite often, the Government’s program missed its intended target by adopting the wrong approach by focusing on imprinting a sense of nationalism in detainees.16 This focus does not address any of the causes that might push detainees away from extremist religious teachings.

Moreover, it is arguably easier for civil society organizations to engage with former terrorists. Owing to former indoctrination, many of the detainees feel that the Government is their enemy. This is an obstacle that not only the graphic novel and restaurant programs face, but also other deradicalization programs face. By being independent, civil society organizations can gain trust easier from former terrorists.

Lessons Learned and Policy Recommendation

From the examples in this policy brief, civil society organizations have shown that they can be at times creative and relevant, as well as impactful and sustainable

at other times when addressing religious violence and extremism. There are a number of lessons learned and policy recommendations that we can gather:

First, context matters. Nur Huda’s project has clear aim. It managed to design a project that reaches this by addressing the underlying causes. Similar initiatives in the region should follow suit by designing project that is tailored to the context of their own country, or even local provinces and districts.

Second, sustainability matters. Following the previous point, it is important to understand that although the scope of the project target is narrow, it can still make durable impact. Considering that other civil society initiatives face strong challenges in ensuring the sustainability of their project, durability is a desirable quality in project design.

Third, evaluation is important. While we can certainly argue in favour of civil society’s approach on the base of their creativity and flexibility, at times it is not clear whether the programs are successful or not. In the case of Mata Tertutup and the two graphic novels, while we can discern the output of the project it is more difficult to understand its impact. Do they truly reach their audience? Have they helped their audience understand the dangers of religious extremism? These are important questions that will help other civil society organizations to understand the nature of the issue and therefore design projects to counter religious extremism and violence that are relevant and impactful at the same time.

Fourth, more research is required. In the light of the importance of understanding the context of operational environment in countering violent extremism and deradicalization, it is important to support research initiatives that aim to provide this understanding at a national level, within Indonesia as well as within other countries in the region. Such national initiatives have been successfully conducted on similar issue, such as the National Violence Monitoring System (NVMS) of The Habibie Center. It would not be too difficult to build such initiatives on existing ones.

Endnotes

1. See A. El Fadl. 2005. The Great Theft: Wrestling Islam From the Extremists (New York: HarperSanFrancisco)

2. Ahmad Ali Nurdin (2005). “Islam and State: A Study of the Liberal Islamic Network in Indonesia, 1999-2004.” New Zealand Journal of Asian Studies 7, 2 (December, 2005): 20-39.

3. The Maarif Institute, “Membuka Mata Tertutup”, http://maarifinstitute.org/id/publikasi/buku/31/membuka-mata-tertutup#.Vth3euagzIw


4. “ Controversial film ‘Mata Tertutup’ Leaves Eyes Wide Open on Radicalism”, http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/archive/controversial-film-mata-tertutup-leaves-eyes-wide-open-on-radicalism/

5. “Buku Komik Ali Imron”, http://www.bbc.com/indonesia/berita_indonesia/2010/08/100806_terorisbalibukukomik.shtml

6. Ibid

7. “Captain jihad: ex-terrorist is now comic book hero”, http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hkskypLQ2tfhNrU1kHFkNCEmB0Xg?docId=2874c82e3ccc41589dda831d5f7b2f65

8. “Captain jihad: ex-terrorist is now comic book hero”. Op. cit.

9. “Komik Anti Terorisme Gratis Untuk Guru”, http://news.okezone.com/read/2011/10/17/373/516404/komik-anti-terorisme-gratis-untuk-guru

10. “Noor Huda Ismail”, https://www.ashoka.org/fellow/noor-huda-ismail

11. “Indonesian scheme serves up a new life for former militants”, http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/f9992764-e700-11e3-aa93-00144feabdc0.html#axzz41skBGEuQ

12. “Noor Huda Ismail”. https://www.ashoka.org/fellow/noor-huda-ismail

13. Julie Chernov Hwang, Rizal Panggabean, and Ihsan Ali Fauzi. 2013. “ The Disengagement of Jihadis in Poso, Indonesia”. Asian Survey, Vol. 53, No. 4.

14. “Leniency Leads to Terror Attack”, http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/01/18/leniency-leads-terror-attack.html

15. “Jakarta attacks: Gunman from widely circulate photo identified”, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35320452

16. Sidney Jones. 2015. “Counter-terrorism and the rise of ISIS in 2014”. http://www.understandingconflict.org/en/conflict/read/33/Counter-Terrorism-and-the-Rise-of-ISIS-in-2014

The Habibie Center was founded by Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie and family in 1999 as an independent, non-governmental, non-profit organisation. The vision of The Habibie Center is to create a structurally democratic society founded on the morality and

integrity of cultural and religious values.

The mission of The Habibie Center are first, to establish a structurally and culturally democratic society that recognizes, respects, and promotes human rights by undertaking study and advocacy of issues related to democratization and human rights, and second, to increase the effectiveness of the management of

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About ASEAN Studies ProgramThe ASEAN Studies Program was established on February 24, 2010, to become a center of excellence on ASEAN related issues, which can assist in the development of the ASEAN Community by 2015. The Habibie Center through its ASEAN Studies Program, alongside other institutions working towards the same goal, hopes to contribute to the realization of a more people-oriented ASEAN that puts a high value on democracy and human rights.

The objective of the ASEAN Studies Program is not merely only to conduct research and discussion within academic and government circles, but also to strengthen public awareness by forming a strong network of civil society in the region that will be able to help spread the ASEAN message. With the establishment of ASEAN Studies Program, The Habibie Center aims to play its part within our capabilities to the ASEAN regional development.

About Talking ASEANTalking ASEAN is a monthly public dialogue held at The Habibie Center in Jakarta. Covering a wide array of issues related to ASEAN, Talking ASEAN addresses topics of: Economic Integration, Socio-cultural, & Democracy, human rights and regional peace, among others. Featuring local and visiting experts, Talking ASEAN is one of a series of twelve dialogues regularly held each month and open to a target audience consisting of ASEAN officials, foreign ambassadors & diplomats, academics, university students, businesses, and the media.

More recently, The Habibie Center’s ASEAN Studies Program has expanded its successful Talking ASEAN publicdiscussion program and will be holding it in all ASEAN countries. The goal of this expansion is to strengthen thedialogue among various stakeholders at the policy making and grass-root levels to increase their awareness, knowledge, and understanding of issues facing ASEAN as it deepens its integration. The expanded format provides a platform from which ASEAN policy makers can interact with CSOs, academics, media, and other relevant stakeholders as well as provides a space for discussion on pressing regional issues in ASEAN.

This particular edition of policy brief is supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. State Department through the ASEAN-US Progress (Partnership for Good Governance, Equitable and Sustainable Development and Security)

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OUR PUBLICATIONS


ASEAN BRIEFS

Migrant Workers RightsThe AEC 2015 and Free Movement of Labor: Case Studies of Indonesia and the Philippines

Issue 3/April 2014

SUMMARY

This issue of ASEAN Briefs examines the issue of the ASEAN Economic Community 2015, the free movement of labor and migrant workers’ rights. In particular, it addresses the concerns that the upcoming ASEAN Economic Community, which is premised on the free movement of labor, will bring about a boom in the number of migrant workers moving in the region. However with the vast majority of ASEAN’s migrant workers operating in the informal sector (and very little to indicate that this will change once the ASEAN Economic Community is in place), there are serious worries that incidents of migrant workers’ abuse will worsen.

As such this issue of ASEAN Briefs seeks to explore how ASEAN intends to cope with these serious worries, what progress it has made towards addressing those worries, and how has its member-states sought to implement the efforts of ASEAN in managing labor migration. This was done by examining the various policy issues at the regional, national and practical levels which resulted in this issue of ASEAN Briefs’ three main recommendations.

ASEAN Studies Program ASEAN Briefs



Program Coordinator/Editor: A. Ibrahim Almuttaqi

Researcher: Herjuno Ndaru K., Adhe Nuansa Wibisono

Finance and Administration: Tia Nurhidayati

Design and Publication: M. I. Qeis


ASEAN Briefs is a bimonthly publications about current development on ASEAN regionalism, especially in the Political-Security, Economic as well as Socio-Cultural Pillars.


ASEAN BRIEFS

Small and Medium Enterprises’ Access to Finance in ASEAN Countries: Innovations and Regional Cooperation

Issue 4/May 2014

SUMMARY

Access to finance for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) is vital for development. State-led programmes in Southeast Asia countries have been a common practice in microfinance and built a foundation especially in agriculture sector. However, many of the government initatives in SMEs financing have not been sustainable, since state budgets were allocated for many programmes and not just for SMEs financing. Besides that, governments have limitations on projecting business sustainability so those initiatives were not efficient and profitable in their operations. Therefore, innovations are needed for responding to these problems.

Innovations in providing more financial services in the ASEAN region should focus on these following issues: private sector development in exploring the potential market in SMEs’ financing; sufficient government intervention on regulatory and supervisory framework; focus on export financing; partnerships with social organizations; and providing financial literacy to consumers.

Experiences from Indonesia and Vietnam have shown that innovations in SMEs financing could be drawn with more participation from the business sector as well as communities. Competitive environment for market as well as financial literacy for the community are both important for the success of SMEs financing. The reform on service sector development in ASEAN as well as its member states has been evolutionary carried out, and it should be continued further.





Researcher: Herjuno Ndaru K., Adhe Nuansa Wibisono




ASEAN Briefs is a regular publications about current development on ASEAN regionalism, especially in the Political-Security, Economic as well as Socio-Cultural Pillars.


ASEAN BRIEFS

The Bali Concord III: Towards a More Common ASEAN Platform on Global Issues

Issue 5/June 2014

SUMMARY

This issue of ASEAN Briefs examines the Bali Concord III which was adopted by the ten member-states of ASEAN in 2011. One of the key documents produced during Indonesia’s 2011 Chairmanship of ASEAN, the Bali Concord III pledged ASEAN to a number of commitments to be achieved by 2022. Chief among them was to: (a) increasingly speak in a common voice on internation-al matters of mutual concern at related international forums, and (b) to enhance ASEAN’s capacity to respond and contribute solutions to those global matters.

However, the commitments raised some question marks given the extreme diversity that exists in the ASEAN region. ASEAN countriesare divided not only in terms of history, culture, geography, economic development, and language but crucially also in their political systems. How possible is it to get all ten ASEAN member-states, each with their own individual national interests, to adopt a common regional position and present a united front externally?

In order to address this question, ASEAN Briefs examined the voting records of the ten ASEAN member-states at the United Nations General Assembly in the years prior and since the adoption of the Bali Concord III. By doing so it was able to trace whether the adoption of the Bali Concord III improved the amount of times the ten member-states of ASEAN were able to adopt a more coordinated, cohesive, and coherent position on global issues; and (b) whether this commitment was realistic and achievable based on ASEAN’s past track record.





Researcher: Herjuno Ndaru K. Adhe Nuansa Wibisono






ASEAN BRIEFS

The AICHR and NHRI Effectiveness in Its Implementation of Human Rights Protection in The Region. Case Studies : The Philippines and Thailand

Issue 6/July 2014

SUMMARY

This edition of ASEAN Briefs examines the effectiveness of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR), the importance National Human Rights Institutions (NHRI) and the implementation of human rights protection in ASEAN Member States. This ASEAN Briefs addresses the current situation and development of human rights protection in ASEAN, which is premised on the presence of a human rights body at the regional level and human rights commission at the national level to bring better protection of human rights in ASEAN. However with existence of various unresolved cases of human rights violation such as enforced disappearance, use of violence by the military and police against civilians, and extrajudicial killings, etc., there are concerns that human rights violations in the region will continue to take place.

As such this issue of ASEAN Briefs seeks to explore how ASEAN deals with these serious human rights violations, whether the regional human rights body and the national human rights commission work effectively to resolve the problems, and how the ASEAN member states sought to implement the efforts of promoting and protecting human rights. This was done by examining the various policy issues at the regional, national and practical levels which resulted in this issue of ASEAN Briefs recommendations.





Researcher: Herjuno Ndaru K. Adhe Nuansa Wibisono





special volume, issue 2 / march 2016

Documents