Darul Islam Rebellion
| Darul Islam Rebellion | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 The flag of the Islamic State of Indonesia, also known as the Darul Islam | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Republic of Indonesia |
Islamic State of Indonesia Legion of Ratu Adil (APRA) (until 1950) | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
|
Sukarno Ahmad Yani Abdul Haris Nasution Suharto |
Sekarmadji Kartosuwirjo  Abdul Kahar Muzakkar † Daud Beureueh  Hasan di Tiro Raymond Westerling (until 1950) | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| 10,000 - 50,000 dead | |||||||||
The Darul Islam Rebellion was a war waged by the Islamic State of Indonesia, commonly known as the Darul Islam, between 1949 and 1962 that aimed for the establishment of an Islamic state in Indonesia.[1] The rebellion began when Sekarmadji Maridjan Kartosuwirjo, a former freedom fighter who resisted the Dutch during the Indonesian National Revolution, refused to recognize the new Republic of Indonesia. Instead, he proclaimed the establishment of the Islamic State of Indonesia on August 7, 1949.
Kartosuwirjo led the Darul Islam into war against the government for 13 years before he was captured by the Indonesian Army in 1962 (he was later executed in 1965). After he was captured, Kartosuwirjo issued orders for his followers to surrender, although there were still some pockets of resistance in Southeast Sulawesi until 1965.
Background
After the Japanese surrendered in 1945, Sukarno proclaimed the independence of Indonesia on August 17, 1945. While the Japanese soon left the former Dutch East Indies, the Dutch returned to reclaim former colonies in 1946. The Indonesian militias soon waged a war against the Dutch for three years, in a struggle known as the Indonesian National Revolution. During the revolution, different militia groups fought the Dutch. One of them is known as the Hizbullah and Sabilillah, which was actually part of the Republican army named the Siliwangi Division, based in West Java. It was led by Sekarmadji Maridjan Kartosuwirjo, a radical nationalist who initially supported the Japanese during the three years of occupation.
The Dutch and the Republic signed Linggadjati Agreement on March 25, 1947.[2] The agreement specified that the Republic could control the islands of Java, Sumatra and Madura while the Dutch controlled the other islands; however, the Dutch broke the agreement by launching Operation Product, an operation commenced to invade the Republican's territory. Kartosuwirjo called for a holy war against the Dutch as a jihad.
Under the Renville Agreement, which the Republic and the Dutch ratified on January 19, 1948, all Republican troops withdrew and moved from West Java to Central Java (Jogja). According to Kartosuwirjo, this agreement was a failure of Republican diplomatic strategy because it reduced the sovereignty of Indonesian independence. Kartosuwirjo therefore rejected the agreement and ordered his troops to engage in a guerrilla war against the Dutch as a holy war to protect Indonesian independence. The revolution ended on 27 December 1949, after the Dutch–Indonesian Round Table Conference, in which the Dutch officially recognized the Republic of Indonesia.
Beginning of a Rebellion
When Indonesia eventually regained independence from the Dutch in 1949, Kartosuwirjo refused to disband his militia group. He then proclaimed the establishment of the Islamic State of Indonesia on August 7, 1949 and also proclaimed himself as the imam of the group. His Islamist group was supported by many people in Indonesia, such as Daud Beureueh, the governor of Aceh, who would become the vice-imam of the group in 1955. Elements of the Indonesian army, who believed that Indonesia should be an Islamic state, deserted and joined the Darul Islam. Beureueh surrendered to the government in 1957.
Kartosuwirjo also forged an alliance with Raymond Westerling, a former KNIL military officer who was leading a rebellion against the Indonesian government which was known as the Legion of Ratu Adil (APRA). The APRA was quickly defeated by the Indonesian army in their stronghold at Bandung, and Westerling fled to Singapore in 1950. Former APRA soldiers who refused to surrender to the government joined the Darul Islam. In 1952, Qahar Muzzakar, a former presidential guard of Sukarno, deserted and led a rebellion against the Republic in Central and South Sulawesi. He initially wanted to create his own militant group but Muzzakar instead joined the Darul Islam in 1953. The Darul Islam was also supported by other rebel groups who opposed the central government, like Permesta and PRRI.
The Darul Islam had tried a few times to assassinate Sukarno. On March 9, 1960, a Mig-17 of the Indonesian Air Force, flown by flight lieutenant Daniel 'Tiger' Maukar, attempted to assassinate Sukarno by firing his 23×115mm round on the Merdeka Palace. Fortunately, Sukarno was not present in the palace during the attempt. Maukar flew his plane to Garut, where he was going to be picked up by other Darul Islam member. However, the army captured him before he could escape. Maukara was tried and sentence to death. Sukarno personally pardoned him and commuted his sentence to life in prison.
Dissolution and Aftermath
Starting in 1956, the government went on the offensive against the Darul Islam. The group was severely weakened after their top leaders were killed or captured. Many of their members surrendered to the government. Aceh was completely liberated by the government in 1957 after the local Darul Islam surrendered. Factions of the Darul Islam in South Kalimantan surrendered in 1959 after their leader was killed. The Darul Islam's forces were shrinking in size and by 1962 there were only pockets of resistance in West Java and South Sulawesi. In June 1962, Kartosuwirjo was captured by the government army in his hideout in Garut. He was brought to trial, sentenced to death, and was then executed in the Thousand Island in 1965. During his time in prison, Kartosuwirjo issued orders for all his followers to surrender. The last Darul Islam band surrendered in 1965 on Southeast Sulawesi.
Despite the group have been dissolved, there are still some people who believed the Darul Islam ideology. These people, along with former Darul Islam members, formed the Komando Jihad, which has now evolved into the Indonesian terrorist group Jemaah Islamiyah. In Aceh, former Darul Islam member Hasan di Tiro proclaimed the creation of the Free Aceh Movement in 1976, which attempted to separate Aceh from Indonesia. Di Tiro waged war against the Indonesian government for 38 years before finally signing a peace treaty with Indonesia in Helsinki in August 2005.
References
- ↑ Andrea HP. "The History of Darul Islam (DI) and Kartosuwiryo". academia.edu. Retrieved 16 May 2015.
- ↑ The agreement is named after the mountain village of Linggajati located near the modern city of Cirebon. "Indonesia: Beginning of Lightness". Time. 7 April 1947. Retrieved 1 December 2009.