TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The fall of Marawi, a small town in the southern Philippines, into the hands of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is not a sign that the radical Islamic group has established a foothold in Southeast Asia.
However, what has happened certainly makes us feel uneasy: will Southeast Asia become the new center of ISIS after the organization's setbacks in Iraq and Syria? The location of Marawi only a stone's throw from North Sulawesi also raises concern. People speculate that it is not impossible for ISIS guerrillas to move into surrounding areas. The presence in Marawi of fighters from outside the Philippines, including from Indonesia, have added to these worries. Indonesian Military Commander General Gatot Nurmantyo has instructed his troops to guard the common border with the Philippines to prevent ISIS fighters from entering Indonesia.
It all started when a group of armed fighters occupied Marawi on May 23. The city hall, cathedral, university, hospital and even the jail, fell into their hands. The attack resulted in the deaths of 89 militants, nine civilians, and 17 Filipino soldiers. Tens of thousands fled. Soon, the government launched a counter-attack from land and air. President Rodrigo Duterte declared a military state of emergency in Mindanao. As of June 1, the government claimed that it had regained control over 90 percent of the city.
There is a local political and social context to ISIS's occupation of Marawi meaning it cannot be simply concluded that the group has successfully moved their central command from its initial base in Syria. There is a long history of armed rebellion in the Philippines. The nation has not been free of armed conflict since World War II. Moreover, the southern Philippines is rife with armed rebellion against Manila. Some in the region have always wanted independence.
The Philippines military is divided. Conflicts between landlords make matters worse. The fall of Marawi to the Maute bandit group, which is allied with the ideological group led by Southeast Asia ISIS leader Isnilon Hapilon, underlines this context.
Before it was taken over by Hapilon, Marawi was a tiny forgotten place. It has a population of around 200,000, and is poor. Located in the semi-autonomous Mindanao region, the Philippines military has no real strength there. Criminal and militant groups fight each other for influence.
Hapilon with the ISIS banner is a new bogeyman. He is on the FBI most-wanted list, with a tempting bounty of US$5 million for his capture. Before joining ISIS, Hapilon led the Abu Sayyaf-linked Al Qaeda, which was thought to be behind the 2002 Bali bombing and several other outrages. The Philippines government has been trying to catch Hapilon, but he has been protected by the Maute group and has been waging war against the central government. Then conflict broke out in Marawi.
Hapilon's opposition is not a sign of the emergence of ISIS in Southeast Asia. The 51-year-old, who goes by the name Abu Abdullah al-Filipini, was tasked with building a new ISIS base outside the Middle East. According to Sydney Jones, director of the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict, ISIS in the Philippines has managed to unite several radical factions in Mindanao. It has embraced Maute, which was previously simply a bandit gang, and has been accused of being behind last year's bombing in Davao, the city where Rodrigo Duterte was born.
Although it will not be easy, we must be on the alert for the expansion of the Marawi ISIS into Indonesia. Marawi could become a magnet for radicals from Indonesia, Malaysia and the region. We must pay careful attention to Hapilon's success in establishing an ISIS basis there. Marawi's war zone could attract like-minded radicals in the wider region. The warning from Jose Calida, Archbishop of the Philippines, that there are foreign combatants in Mindanao must not be ignored.
The presence of ISIS in Mindanao will have an impact on Indonesia. Many Indonesian terrorists learned their trade there. The bomb in Kampung Melayu, central Jakarta, last week was reportedly carried out by ISIS.
Therefore, the government should act immediately. The seeds of radical religion in Indonesia must be wiped out. Pro-caliphate propaganda claiming that an Islamic government could be established without violence should not be believed. Supporting a caliphate is a crime against the Constitution. Using democracy to destroy democracy is a deception.
The violence in Marawi should make us realize that the idea of an Islamic state cannot be brought about without violence. In this context, we must stay on alert.
Read the full story in this week’s edition of Tempo English Magazine
