ISIS and Propaganda in Social Media
                                                                  By David Raja Marpaung

Gabriel Weimann in his study in 2012 shows, 90 percent of Al Qaeda and ISIS communications process occurs through social media. They use Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube to attract Muslim sympathies, recruit new members, and raise funds. Social media is chosen because it allows broad and direct interaction with unfiltered audiences and sensors as occurs in mainstream media. Social media also forms ideological crowds that can communicate intensively to facilitate the indoctrination of terrorism cells.

Moreover, social media is also a stage of terror (theater of terror). The video of the beheading of the hostages is displayed vulgarly throughout the world without anyone being able to withstand immediately. Terrorist groups are very free to add any appeal in the video. They know no matter how sadistic and unspeakable, the videos of the beheading are hunted by netizens who secretly love violence and many cited the mass media that utilize the fondness.

The importance of social media for terrorist groups is also noted by Brian Jenkins (2014). Facebook, Twitter, Youtube really meets the needs of Al Qaeda as an international terrorist network that moves within its limitations. Living in hiding and constantly hunted for intelligence operations, Al Qaeda needs an easy, inexpensive, and effective means of communication to reach its constituencies around the world. These conditions are met by social media.

In hiding, Al Qaeda can still communicate with the outside world, even trying to shake a lot of parties through violent propaganda.Social media even altered the Al Qaeda terror strategy. Direct violence against enemy targets is no longer a single priority. Using social media as a means of propaganda is equally important, perhaps even more important than direct violence. Spreading ideological beliefs, stimulating endless terror circuits, and lure countries to take extra-judicial steps that negatively impact the image of the democratic order become as important as direct violence. Building widespread awareness of jihad is also as important as acts of terror. In this context, regardless of their level of success, social media becomes the main epicenter of the terror movement. Jenkins noted, 90 percent of Al Qaeda's activities are centered on social media.

Al Qaeda and ISIS officials are aware that making social media the main fighting arena is really risky. They are easily targeted for intelligence surveillance and military operations. However, they have no other choice and calculate a profit greater than the loss. Degrading public confidence in the country's ability to safeguard and inspire terrorist networks elsewhere to commit terror is deemed feasible even though the risk is that their safety is always threatened by security operations in some countries.
The question then, how effective social media as a means of propaganda terrorist groups? This is a topic that is quite controversial and invites dissent from the experts, as differences of opinion also occur about the effectiveness of government resolute actions in closing the radical accounts. Once a social media account closes, another account will appear quickly. In this case the government is like playing hide and seek with radical groups. Another problem, if accounts are closed, how do intelligence agencies monitor the movements of terrorist or radical groups? The transparency of terrorist groups in cyberspace is beneficial in this regard.

Social media like the no man's jungle. A gigantic public space that has not yet institutionalized, but has been exploited so far in many ways. Still unclear how the rules of the game and who to enforce. It is not clear how law and ethics are for all those who play on social media. This vagueness also occurs in terms of corporate social media responsibilities. Do Facebook, Twitter and Youtube need not be responsible for the real use of social media as a means of propaganda terrorism?By reason of not wanting to harm the principle of freedom of opinion of internet users, social media companies initially tend to refrain from reactively closing down radical accounts or terrorists. However, to what extent is the relevance of the argument of freedom of expression when, at the same time, terrorism has deprived the lives of so many people and the glorification continues in social media?

The Ideology of ISIS in Indonesia

By David Raja Marpaung

Almost the majority of ISIS supporters in Indonesia are salafi jihadis, religious ideologies that have 5 basic principles in their religious beliefs, namely; first, jihad, is an integral and important component of the jihadi salafi movement that sees jihad as the culmination of Islam, which is the vehicle for this religion to survive and thrive. Jihad in the way of Allah (jihad fi sabilillah) is fardu 'ain (obligation of every individual) as other worship such as salat, pilgrimage, and fasting. Jihad itself is categorized into two: offensive and defensive. However, the implementation of offensive jihad requires the existence of certain authorities such as the khilafah in order to gain new territory, then seizing the territory to uphold the khilafah is a duty as it did in Marawi, Philippines.
Second, understand takfir or takfiri. In general understanding takfir is the process of declaring another Muslim or a Muslim group has come out of Islam because it is different from themselves. Takfir determines the position of the Muslim community and its members. Because the consequences of takfir are giving conceptualization who is not a believer or a kafir. For salafi this is important because takfir is seen as a mechanism to safeguard Islam. The mechanisms for expelling Muslims differ from them and protecting the Muslims who are with them. From this takfir concept appears takfiri which punishes the disbelievers of different people even though they are Moslems.
Third, al wala 'wal baro'. Wala 'here is close to the Muslims by loving them, helping and helping them over their enemies and residing with them. Whereas baro 'breaks a relationship or bond with the unbelievers, so no longer loves them, helps and helps them and does not live with them. The concept of al wala 'wal baro' can be used as an effort to protect the Muslim community - by showing loyalty, and giving legality to attack its enemies - by calling for denial and with violence against the enemy. This concept is essential for the salafi-jihadi movement in order to establish its black-and-white perspective, that is, the world is divided between loyalty and denial; truth and falsehood; faith and kafir.
Fourth, monotheism, which is the main concept in the salafi-jihadi movement. Tawheed for salafi consists of three parts: tauhid rububiyyah (Allah's rububiyyah is the confiscation of Allah in three things, that is His creation, His power, and His arrangement) So when one believes that besides Allah there is one who has ability to do as above , means that the person has tyrannized himself and partnered with him other than Him). Tawheed uluhiyyah (is to emphasize all forms of worship for Allah, such as praying, asking, trusting, fearing, hoping, slaughtering, vowing, love, and apart from the kinds of worship that Allah and Allah's Messenger) have taught. And the last is tauhid asthma 'wa trait (is a part of munising or insulting God in the creed of Islam.Thid this is a form of impersonation of creatures against God concerning His names and attributes which are names and these attributes have been attributed to Himself). Salafi jihadi states that fighting is the only way to realize monotheism, especially its practical component of tauhid uluhiyyah.
Fifth, hakimiyyah. This concept states that the sovereignty of the political system and the rule of life in the state is only Allah's. The enforcement of God's sovereignty in the political system will not only secure God's right, but will also provide temporal empowerment as it is the stage in which the messages of the Prophet Muhammad are transformed and transmitted on a larger scale than the previous stage.
Seeing the problems above, ISIS's network and ideology still exists and is rooted in Indonesia. Therefore, efforts should be made to break the network link and also their understanding of jihad.

 

The Existence of ISIS in Indonesia

by David Raja Marpaung

ISIS Indonesia was declared in Indonesia on March 16, 2014 at Bundaran Indonesia, Jakarta by several people who joined several organizations. On July 6, 2014 at Sahid Ciputat State Islamic University there was also a declaration supporting ISIS and ba'iat to Abu Bakar Al Baghdadi, the international ISIS leader. In 2015 declared a name Jama'ah Ansharut Daulah (JAD) as the main umbrella of ISIS supporters and suppliers of Indonesian citizens who leave for Syria.JAD is a term or a reference to the group that supports ISIS, while JAD is the first advocate of JAD, the East Indonesia Mujahidin (MIT) led by Santoso / Abu Wardah known as the ideology, recruitment and regeneration group based in Poso and Bima (NTB). Second, the Mujahideen of West Indonesia (MIB), formed at the end of 2012 and led by Abu Roban. MIB has an ideology to unite jihadist groups throughout Indonesia in order to enforce Islamic law and make Indonesia an Islamic state. MIB has strong links with other groups such as the East Indonesia Mujahidin led by Santoso. MIB is known as a group in charge of raising funds for their efforts to uphold the Islamic state in Indonesia.Third, Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) or Jamaah Ansharut Tauhid (JAT) led by Abu Bakar Ba'asyir. When Abu Bakar Ba'asyir bai'at to Abu Bakar Al Baghdadi then some members of JAT refused to join JAD. Some established a new organization called Jamaah Ansharut Syariah (JAS) led by Abdurahim Ba'asyir. The split at JAT is very strong, and they hate Aman Abdurahman who is regarded as the one who influenced Abu Bakar Ba'asyir to join and bai'at to ISIS.Fourth, Al Muhajirun is affiliated with Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia. Although HTI has denied that at least Al Muhajirun members are former HTI members, there are 2 people whom I consider to have traces with HTI, ie Bahrun Naim had been a member of HTI in UNS - is still in Syria and a mastermind of bombing in Thamrin and Kampung Melayu, and Muhamad Fahri was a member of HTI at Jember University, who was arrested by Densus 88 for dispatching 16 Indonesians to Syria.

The Global ISIS

Once Saddam Hussein fell in April 2003, Al-Zarqawi, previously based in Herat, western Afghanistan soon moved to northern Iraq inhabited by a Sunni majority. Iraq becomes a new jihad field. They aimed at expelling American troops from Iraq, establishing khilafah, expanding conflicts to neighboring countries, and engaging in Arab-Israeli conflict. In June 2005, Al-Zarqawi formed the umbrella organization of Mujahideen Shura Council (MSC) aimed at uniting Sunni resistance. However, this effort failed because the united Jamaah Wal Jihad committed reckless acts of violence against civilians, and applied strict Islamic law in the territories of his moderate Sunni community.After Al-Zarqawi was killed in 2005, his position was replaced by Abu Ayyub Al-Masri. In mid-October 2006, Al-Masri declared Daula Islam fi Iraq or Islamic State of Iraq (ISI). This is an important event when an Al-Qaeda element declares the formation of a state. In 2007, the strength of the ISI or Al-Qaeda of Iraq (AQI) was largely composed of foreign volunteers. About 2,000 people are from Syria and about 250 other people from the northern region of Chechen - they call themselves the Jaash Muhajirin wal Anshar (AJA), led by Abu Umar Al-Shishani.After declaring Daula Islam fi Iraq, on April 19, 2007 they announced the formation of a government led by Abu Umar al-Baghdadi, with 10 cabinet members. Earlier, Abu Umar Al-Baghdadi was the deputy commander of al-Qaeda, then served as commander. In April 2010, after Abu Ayub al-Misri and Abu Umar al-Baghdadi were killed in Tikrit, Abu Bakar al-Baghdadi took command. In April 2013, Abu Bakar Al-Baghdadi declared the expansion of the ISI to become Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (Islamiyah Fi al-Iraq wa Sham (ISIL). The Levant is another name for Sham, a mixture of Syrians and Lebanese as well as the Palestinians - whom we are familiar with as ISIS. This declaration as well as the statement of merging Jabhah al-Nusrah as part of ISIL.However, as the mission veers from mission struggle by creating sectarian war in Iraq and Syria and the use of violent acts, Jabhah al-Nusrah / al-Qaedah Syria no longer recognizes ISIS as part of it. Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi even vowed to lead the conquest of Rome, and called on Muslims to submit to him. Around 500 billion dinars or equivalent to Rp 5 trillion disappeared from Iraq's Central Bank Mosul branch when ISIS seized the northern city.Aiman ​​Al-Zawahiri, Al-Qaeda's supreme leader Osama bin Laden, says al-Qaeda has no connection with ISIS. While ISIS is developing rapidly in 2014. Even so, the differences between Abu Bakar Al-Baghdadi and Al-Zawahiri should not be misinterpreted as a signal that ISIS does not recognize Al-Qaeda's ideology. Basically ISIS still adheres to Al-Qaeda ideology, so ISIS is more worth mentioning as Al-Qaeda splinter group. And, despite the tactical differences about the stages of struggle and substantive differences regarding personal leadership, Al Qaeda and ISIS pursue the same strategic goals.Al-Baghdadi's announcement of a "Caliphate" on June 29, 2014 and a public address on 4 July 2014 indicates ISIS's move to take territorial gains. Using the diction "Caliph", ISIS intends to exploit the religious, historical, and ideological connotations of a word, in order to impress the resurrection of the caliphal government in the early years of Islam.This is in line with Osama bin Laden's assertion that the final stage of Al-Qaeda's terror campaign is the establishment of a political structure to correct misunderstandings about religion. Such propaganda techniques are designed to encourage international volunteers to join the movement.