JP\/24\/NASIR<\/p>\n
Nasir Abas, poacher turned gamekeeper<\/p>\n
Slamet Susanto
\nThe Jakarta Post\/Yogyakarta<\/p>\n
Nasir Abas, 36, was formerly a regional operative of Jamaah
\nIslamiyah (JI), and widely accused of being a terrorist leader.<\/p>\n
A JI member since its establishment in 1993, the Malaysian
\ncitizen quit the organization in mid-2003 for refusing to get
\nfurther involved in JI conflict and later produced a book,
\nMembongkar Jamaah Islamiyah (Unveiling JI).<\/p>\n
The conflict, according to Abas, arose as some people wanted
\nto employ violence as a means of articulating their struggle. He
\nmentioned the Hambali group, which plotted to turn the communal
\nclash in Ambon into national mayhem through a series of Christmas
\nbombings in 2000, including those in Manila, the Philippines.<\/p>\n
The operation was financed through ill-gotten gains, as was
\ndiscovered in Malaysia.<\/p>\n
When Abas was a JI member, he became an instructor and platoon
\nhead in Johor Bahru, under wakalah (regent) Usman bin Affan. At
\nthe end of 1997, Nasir rose to the position of chief wakalah of
\nBasar Al-Kubro, Sabah, subordinate to mantiqi (governor) Tsalis
\n(III), an official of the rank of governor, and in April 2001
\nassumed the office of mantiqi himself.<\/p>\n
The sixth of nine children of Abas and Saemah, Nasir went to
\nprimary school in Singapore before completing his secondary and
\nreligious education in Malaysia. In 1987 he entered the Mujahidin
\nMilitary Academy in Afghanistan and stayed for three years.<\/p>\n
From 1994 to 1996 he struggled with Moro fighters in Mindanao,
\nsouthern Philippines. To train the Moros and Al-Jamaah Al-
\nIslamiyah members, he set up the Hudaybiyah camp.<\/p>\n
On April 18, 2003, Nasir Abas was captured in Bekasi, West
\nJava, on charges of involvement in the first round of Bali
\nbombings. After being tried by the district court in Palu,
\nCentral Sulawesi, Nasir was sentenced to 10 years in prison, but
\nreleased on Feb. 18, 2004, after he cooperated with the
\nauthorities.<\/p>\n
In November 2004, Abas wrote an account of his experiences
\ntitled Membongkar Jamaah Islamiyah, which was published by
\nGrafindo in 2005. The 300-page account exposes in detail the JI
\norganization.<\/p>\n
Structurally, JI's top leadership is held by an amir jamaah
\n(commander) and its syuro (council) formulates the organization's
\nrules. JI also recruits Muslim intellectuals to form fatwa and
\nhisbah councils for the control of its activities.<\/p>\n
Operationally, it is directed by the Qiyadah Markaziyah
\ncouncil with a mantiqi (governor) and wakalah (regent) as
\nsubordinate operatives.<\/p>\n
JI's original name was Al-Jamaah Al-Islamiyah. However, to
\nmake it easier to pronounce it was shortened to JI, which tends
\nto leave Muslims uneasy because Jamaah Islamiyah means \"the
\nMuslim community\", whereas Al-Jamaah Al-Islamiyah means \"an
\norganization or group\".<\/p>\n
The second theme in the book refutes the justification for
\nsuicide bombings in public places as acts of jihad (holy war) and
\nIslam. This perception, says the book, is misleading and in
\ndirect opposition to the guiding prinicples of Al-Jamaah Al-
\nIslamiyah and Islam.<\/p>\n
The book is based on Nasir's personal experiences, sources and
\ndocuments in the possession of the police in Solo, Central Java,
\nin 2002, including one titled General Guide to the Struggle of
\nAl-Jamaah Al-Islamiyah, as well as a report on paramilitary
\ntraining at Hudaybiyah camp, Mindanao.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/jp24nasir-1447899208",
"image": ""
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