Violence in the Name of Islam: The case of ‘Islamic Defenders Front’ from Indonesia

Year 2015, Volume: 14 Issue: 1, 33 - 51, 26.12.2015

Mehmet Ali Uğur , Pinar İnce

Abstract

                            Although,
resorting to violence in the name of Islam is not an entirely new phenomenon on
its own, its share in the international relations literature has steadily
increased after the 9/11 attacks. Studies conducted about the appearance,
goals, organizational structures, and the means frequently resorted by the
organizations that regard violence as a justifiable means in the name of Islam,
have sought to better understand these organizations and offer projections as
to how they could be convinced to put an end to their violent acts. This
article aims to shed light onto root causes of the existence of one of the
largest Islamic groups, Islamic Defenders Front (FPI – Front Pembela Islam), in
a country with the largest Muslim population of the world, Indonesia. A
thorough analysis of the organization’s discourse and its actions reveals three
main reasons: the perception that Islam is threatened by global and local
forces and therefore the faith should be protected, the demand that Sharia’s
‘universal’ laws should be implemented and enforced by the state, and the claim
that they, in essence, support the state’s law enforcement officers in the
fight against immorality, wrong deeds and heresy.

Keywords

Islamic Defenders Front, FPI, Indonesia, Islam

References

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