The Threat of Madrassas: An Evaluation of the Role of Islamic Education in Jemaah Islamiyah Terrorist Attacks in Indonesia

Open Access
- Author:
- Stepler, Renee
- Area of Honors:
- Security and Risk Analysis
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Science
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Andrea H Tapia, Thesis Supervisor
Andrea H Tapia, Thesis Supervisor
Donald Richard Shemanski, Faculty Reader
Andrea H Tapia, Thesis Honors Advisor - Keywords:
- terrorism
madrassas
madrasah
madrasa
Jemaah Islamiyah - Abstract:
- Policymakers in the United States and western world have accused some madrassas of radicalizing their students and encouraging jihad. Madrassas are schools that focus upon Islamic studies with the goal of training religious authorities. Many madrassas also include secular education in their curriculum. The 9/11 Commission Report recommends the increased attention of the United States to madrassas in Pakistan, warning that certain radical madrassas serve as ‘potential terrorist sanctuaries’ and are ‘incubators for violent extremism’. Since the 9/11 Commission Report, researchers have debated whether radical madrassas are prevalent enough to pose a threat to United States national security, and whether these schools have been instrumental in past large-scale terrorist attacks. Though madrassas in Pakistan are often the focus of this debate, the use of Islamic schools by Jemaah Islamiyah, an al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group in Indonesia, demonstrates the dangers these radical institutions present for United States national security and international security. In order to capture the role radical Islamic schools played in Jemaah Islamiyah attacks, the educational backgrounds of 68 individuals involved in five terrorist attacks in Indonesia since 2002 were collected. These backgrounds were analyzed along with other connections, such as family ties, that the individuals had to other terrorists within the network. In three of these attacks, the Islamic schools played a significant role in completing and maintaining the network. The Jemaah Islamiyah networks illustrate that the security threats of radical madrassas lie in their ability to create relationships between like-minded individuals and to act as hubs for planning terrorist attacks. Therefore, even though radical madrassas are in the minority, it is evident that these schools present significant security implications for the western world. The United States has supported and promoted secular education in the Muslim world in order to combat the threat of radical madrassas. Islamic schools continue to play a significant role in the education systems for many countries including Pakistan and Indonesia. The United States must continue to support education in the Muslim world and must be vigilant of the operation of radical madrassas.