Publication

This report analyzes Islamic fundamentalism in Central Sulawesi. It follows the 22 January 2007 police action in the city of Poso that left sixteen people dead, including one policeman. The paper examines how a neighborhood in Poso became a stronghold of the terrorist organization, Jemaah Islamiyah, and how a small group of men managed to terrorize the city for three years before their identities became known. The government’s new determination to crack down on violent jihadi networks in Poso is welcome, but Poso must not become a new cause for the country’s mujahidin.