Attached is a translation of excerpts from ‘A Manual for Jihad, for Islamic Movement Activists’ (Panduan Jihad untuk Aktivis Gerakan Islam), published in Indonesia May 2001. This book can be ordered from the website of its publisher: http://www.gemainsani.co.id/1p.htm

The author has published a number of books on Islam in Malaysia and Indonesia. The publisher, Gema Insani, produces a wide variety of books in the Indonesian language.

This jihad manual discusses both political and military aspects of jihad. The purpose of this jihad is to cause all the world to bow to the power of Islam.

Just three points (many more could be made):

1. In the Australian media recently there has been comment about the use of a martyr assassin in the Bali bombing. This manual, published in Indonesia 18 months earlier, provides guidelines for selecting and preparing martyr brigades: ‘it is highly necessary that special brigades, usually called martyr brigades … be formed’.

2. This manual gives a theological precedent, based on the example of Muhammad’s companions, for groups of jihad fighters to attack non-Muslims even whilst the majority of the Muslim community is at peace with them. According to this perspective, Muhammad could with integrity be in a state of truce with non-Muslims, whilst some Muslims were attacking these same non-Muslims as an independent band of fighters.

3. The translated excerpt also includes a theological justification for inflicting terror on infidels, based upon Sura 9:120.

This would be a useful resource for security and government personel to be able to access in translation. It provides a valuable insight into the intended motivations and goals of suicide assassins. It offers a useful insight into the use of propaganda to undermine the infidel enemy’s will in conjunction with the use of terror. It also points to an on-going process of preparation of suicide assassins in Indonesia in recent years.

Mark Durie

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*Mark Durie holds a PhD in Linguistics from the ANU (1984). He is an expert on the language and culture of the Acehnese, a Muslim people of Indonesia, amongst whom he conducted extensive field research trips during the period from 1980-1991, and about whom he has published three books and many articles.