Darul Islam

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Darul Islam was an Islamic group in Indonesia that is considered to be more closely related to extremists than to Jemaah Islamiyah. It was started in 1942 by a group of Muslim militias, coordinated by a charismatic radical Muslim politician, Kartosuwiryo. The group recognised only Shari'a as a valid source of law.

During the Indonesian National Revolution, Kartosuwiryo founded his own band of freedom fighters in West Java, called Hizbullah and Sabilillah. As a protest toward the Renville Agreement signed by Indonesian leaders in 1948, which ceded West Java to the Dutch, Kartosuwiryo proclaimed "Darul Islam" (meaning Islamic State) in West Java. Darul Islam did not disband itself after the transfer of sovereignty in 1949, resulting in a clash with the government of the Indonesian Republic. Rebellious movements in provinces such as Aceh and South Sulawesi joined the Darul Islam Movement in the 1950s. The movement was an alternative government to the Republic until 1962, when the leaders were captured or killed.

However, despite the group being dismantled, underground networks may have persisted. In the 1970s and 1980s, there were occurrences of 'Islamic' terrorism attributed to a group known as Komando Jihad. The leaders arrested from this group were found to be Darul Islam veterans.


[edit] References

  • Dijk, C. van (Cornelis) Rebellion under the banner of Islam : the Darul Islam in Indonesia The Hague: M. Nijhoff,1981.ISBN 90-247-6172-7

[edit] External links