The calling in life for the fanatical Muslims who belong to the terrorist group known as the Front for Defenders of Islam or the Islamic Defenders Front, is the forced imposition of strict Islamic Sharia law throughout Indonesia. Despite the group's strict religious foundation, FPI is not specifically dedicated to the re-creation of Indonesia as an Islamic state because for the most part it already is one. Instead, the FPI concentrates on making sure no one violates Islamic law. They frequently attack any institution which they accuse of inadequately observing Sharia.
A typical FPI attack would involve a group of young men dressed in white robes and armed with rattan sticks, stones or machetes. Front for the Defenders of Islam members use their weapons to destroy street kiosks and drinking establishments that have been deemed immoral. The nature of FPI attacks have prompted some observers to see the Front for the Defenders of Islam as a group of thugs; however, FPI's religious objectives confirm that they are thugs on a religious mission.
The Front for the Defenders of Islam views drinking as evil but not the violence they use against those who make that choice. Like all fundamentalist Islamic groups, they think it is moral to create social change through the employment of violent tactics. Also consistent with their peers, the FPI has spoken against the presence of the United States in Indonesia and Afghanistan. The FPI threatens Westerners in retaliation for U.S. actions in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Most recently, the Front for the Defenders of Islam asserted itself following the December 2004 tsunami disaster, which killed over 100,000 people in Indonesia alone, by threatening Christian relief agencies. According to the FPI, the Christian groups went beyond the distribution of aid by sharing Christian values and attempting to convert refugees. So the FPI terrorized the Christian groups. FPI also warned Australia that it was not welcome in Indonesia after it had completed its humanitarian work for the tsunami victims.
The bottom line is that, like all Islamic organizations, the Front for Defenders of Islam is intolerant and remains opposed to any organization or entity that does not follow Islamic law. Hasri Husan, the current leader of the Front for Defenders of Islam remains an outspoken critic of international aid agencies, especially Christians, because their behavior makes Islam's behavior look bad by comparison. The previous leader of the FPI, Habib Rizieq Shihab, was released from Salemba Penitentiary in November 2003 after completing a seven-month sentence for bad behavior.
Mother Tongue Transliteration: Front Pembela Islam
Aliases: Islamic Defender Front, Islamic Defenders Front
