Religious-linked violence and terrorism : a response to James Veitch

Abstract

There is little doubt that root-causes of radicalism, violence or terrorism in the name of religion are very complex; in fact there are some kind of combination of various factors including politics, economics, and to some extent also certain teachings or interpretations of religions. In most cases, politics seems to be the most important factor.1 To take the most recent cases of terrorism in Indonesia such the Bali I (2002), Jakarta Marriot (2003), Kuningan Jakarta (2004), and Bali II (2005) bombings, it is apparent that politics, both domestic and international, is the main cause of terrorism. At the domestic level, the perpetrators of the bombings have been motivated by their anger and hatred against the Indonesian political system that they regarded as un- Islamic. This is particularly true when Megawati Soekarnoputri was the president of the Republic of Indonesia; they believed it was unlawful for a woman to become the leader (imam) of a state in which the great majority of the population is Muslim.