Joining the Caravan? The Middle East, Islamism and Indonesia
By Anthony Bubalo and Dr Greg Fealy
Lowy Institute Paper #5:
Since 9/11 a number of claims have been made about the global nature of the threat posed by militant Islam, many of these have been debated extensively at the Small Wars Journal. This significant monograph from a part of the world directly engaged in these issues provides a fresh, research driven and policy focused perspective on this topical issue. From the paper's executive summary:
"Against the background of the 'war on terror', many people have come to view Islamism as a monolithic ideological movement spreading from the centre of the Muslim world, the Middle East, to Muslim countries around the globe. To borrow a phrase from Abdullah Azzam, the legendary jihadist who fought to expel the Soviet Union from Afghanistan in the 1980s, many today see all Islamists as fellow travellers in a global fundamentalist caravan. This paper explores the truth of that perception. It does it in part by looking at the way Islamism has evolved in the Middle East. It then assesses the impact that Islamist ideas from the Middle East have had in Indonesia, a country often cited as an example of a formerly peaceful Muslim community radicalised by external influences".
The paper offers several important policy recommendations arising from its conclusions; (these are expanded at the link):
1. In focusing on the global, do not lose sight of the local;
2. Adopt a more nuanced categorization of Islamists and neo-fundamentalists;
3. Take a less timorous approach to engagement with Islamists;
4. Think about education and the 'war of ideas' in broad terms;
5. Encourage transparency; and
6. Be conscious of double standards and the democracy dilemma.
About the Authors:
Anthony Bubalo is the Director of the West Asia Program at the Lowy Institute for International Policy. Anthony is a fluent Arabic speaker and has worked as an Australian Diplomat in Egypt, Israel and the Palestinian Territories. Prior to joining the Lowy Institute he was a Middle East Analyst at Australia's peak intelligence body, the Office of National Assessments (ONA).
Dr Greg Fealy is a research fellow and lecturer at the Australian National University specialising in Indonesian Islam and politics.
The Lowy Institute for International Policy is Australia's premier independent foreign policy think tank. Its objective is to generate new ideas and dialogue on international developments and Australia's role in the world. Its mandate is broad. It ranges across all the dimensions of international policy debate in Australia - economic, political and strategic -- and it is not limited to a particular geographic region.