The construction of an anti-Western Islamist discourse in Indonesian magazines

Abstract

This thesis is a study of the Islamist discourse on terrorism and how western countries are constructed in four Indonesian magazines, Tempo, Gatra, Sabili and SuaraHidayatullah, in relation to the five bombings which took place in Indonesia. I define the first two magazines as the general magazines and the last two as the Islamist magazines. The bombings coverage analysed is that of the Bali bombings 1 and 2, the JW Marriott 1 bombing, the Australian Embassy bombing and the JW Marriott 2/Ritz Carlton bombing. The first study is of the bomb which killed or injured more than 200 people in Kuta, Bali, an area which attracts large numbers of international tourists; the second is of the bomb which exploded in Jimbaran,Bali, also a tourist area; and the last three studies are of the bombings of icons of 'the West.' In addition, the way in which the readers of the magazines responded to the reporting of the five bombings analysed is also examined. To address the topic, I conducted research in the offices of four magazines in Jakarta. I copied articles from the Gatra, Sabili and Suara Hidayatullah offices, and Tempo provided me with digital copies. I also interviewed two or three journalists/editors from each magazine. Further, I conducted focus group discussions for the readers of the magazines. Ten focus groups were involved during the fieldwork. There were two groups for each magazine and the other two groups involved readers of both the general and Islamist magazines. The examination of the two general magazines shows that each constructs a different anti-western Islamist discourse in its reports on the terrorism. Gatra, in part, presents the Islamist view and construct that western countries are opposed to Islam, and therefore conspiracy theories concerning who was responsible for the bombings are likely to be true. Tempo, on the other hand, does not present an anti-western Islamist view in its reports. Mainstream views of terrorism are dominant. The comparison of the Islamist magazines shows a similarity in how the Islamists construct anti-western Islamist discourse in their reports. Both Sabili and Suara Hidayatullah view the western countries, mainly the United States, as anti-Islam and as enemies who would try to destroy and undermine Islam. The readers of the magazines generally perceive terrorism in Indonesia from an Islamist perspective, although they do not agree with acts of violence. The readers of both the general and Islamist magazines perceive the western countries (particularly the United States) as being in opposition to Islam and Muslims. The bombings which occurred in Indonesia are viewed with the suspicion that the western countries were involved. These findings show, partly, the Islamisation of society in the social and political context in contemporary Indonesia. They show not only that Islamisation exists in society (as exemplified by the readers), but that, to some extent, the media institution also has been Islamised. In the reform era, the Islamist magazines have the space and opportunity to disseminate their Islamist ideas, while the general magazines, though adopting mainstream views, are also partly Islamised by the strengthening of the journalists' self-identification as Muslims.

Date of Award	2014
Original language	English