ISLAMOPHOBIA: MYTH OF ISLAMIC THREAT IN INDONESIA, 2001-2004

Abstract

Muslims in Indonesia, with extension to Southeast Asia are moderate and known as Muslim smiling faces. However, being the largest Muslim populated nation across the Muslim world, Indonesia has been alleged as hotbed of terrorist in Southeast Asia barely after the September 11 tragedy. Indonesia became the most fragile target of the terrorist attack in the form of bomb explosions. Since Bali bombing in 2002, Indonesian government has been facing the terror from so-called "Jama'ah Islamiyah (JI)" which has been associated as Southeast Asia regional network of al-Qaeda, an international terrorist organization based in Afghanistan. As such, this paper attempts to analyze Islamic threat in Indonesia where a terrorist group known JI is allegedly growing. Using an analytical approach of certain media, this paper finds that Islamic threat has been in the form of alarming account, and too much politicized in the expense of Islamist groups. This paper also provides some interpretation of JI and the myth of Islamic threat which is associated with it in Southeast Asia.