Thus it is not surprising that they vied with one another to captain the ships that would take them to the frontlines of the Moluccas in a fervid attempt to absorb themselves into a protracted, bloody communal conflict in the islands. Based on this pretext, which was strengthened and legitimized by fatwДЃs from prominent religious authorities in the Middle East, the Salafis justified their actions and created a new collective identity as heroes for their religion and fellow faithful and as patriots for their beloved state. Through conspiracy rhetoric blaming Zionist and Christian international powers for the escalation of the Moluccan conflict, he created a pretext for collective action that encouraged an analytical shift from individuals to groups.

Utilizing pre-existing networks and interpersonal bonds formed through his activism in the Salafi movement, JaвЂ™far Umar Thalib mobilized thousands of Salafis and other aspirant mujДЃhids to join Laskar Jihad. Bolstered by further study with Muqbil ibn HДЃdД« al-WДЃdiвЂД« of Yemen, he quickly emerged as the movementвЂ™s most visible, and leading, authority. Upon return, he immediately immersed himself in Salafi activism, giving lectures and sermons in Salafi teaching centres scattered among various Indonesian cities. His militancy matured in Pakistan, and he went to Afghanistan to fight with the Afghan mujДЃhids. The movementвЂ™s main actor was JaвЂ™far Umar Thalib, a typical cadre of Islamism who grew up in the puritanical atmosphere of al-Irsyad and Persis, two reformist Muslim organizations in Indonesia. Fragmentation and conflict among the Salafis became inevitable. This study addresses how the rapid efflorescence of the Salafi movement coincided with increasing tension among its protagonists caused by their increasing competition to become the movementвЂ™s legitimate representative.

The impact of this campaign has been felt in Indonesia since the mid1980s, reflecting the success of the movementвЂ™s proponents to attract a significant number of followers and establish an exclusive current of Islamic activism. Operating under the banner of the transnational Salafi daвЂwa movement, this campaign has succeeded in disseminating the Wahhabi message around the world.

Based on extensive fieldwork, numerous interviews and a study of the movementвЂ™s literature, this study demonstrates that the very existence of Laskar Jihad cannot be dissociated from Saudi ArabiaвЂ™s immensely ambitious global campaign for the Wahhabization of the Muslim umma. Using an interpretive framework derived from social movement theory and identity politics, this study exposes the roots of the group and its transformation into a militant, jihadist movement. This study analyses the intellectual and political history of Laskar Jihad, the most spectacular Muslim paramilitary group that emerged in Indonesia in the aftermath of the collapse of the New Order regime in May 1998.

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