Delegitimizing Global Jihadi Ideology in Southeast Asia

This article argues that countering radical Islamist ideology is central to any counter-terrorism strategy in Southeast Asia. It shows that while enhanced inter-state cooperation may contribute to the elimination of existing terror cells and individual terrorist leaders and rank and file, this will by no means be sufficient to neutralize the terror threat. This is because the relatively uncontested circulation of a dangerous apocalyptic global jihadi narrative only ensures that the threat persists. The article lays bare the content and danger of the global jihadi "Story" of a transnational Islamic community under attack by a nefarious "Jewish-Crusader axis" spearheaded by Israel and the United States. It essentially examines how, within the Southeast Asian milieu, the Story is empowered by several "macropolitical oxygen " and "micropolitical oxygen", including localized political, cultural, and socio-economic grievances as well as resentment at the perceived bias of the United States against the Muslim world. In particular, the study explores how all these elements may have interacted to reinforce the Story empowering the regional radical Islamist terrorist network Jemaah Islamiyah. The essay concludes by suggesting possible counter-strategies for delegitimizing the Story driving global jihadi terrorism in Southeast Asia.