Asian Islam

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A look at the safe havens and terrorism hot spots in Asia

Major Muslim Countries of Asia

Asian Country	Muslim Population	Muslim Presence
Indonesia	207,000,105	88%
Pakistan	159,305,441	97%
India	151,402,065	14%
Bangladesh	129,987,365	87%
Iran	64,089,571	98%
Afghanistan	31,571,023	99%
Saudi Arabia	26,417,599	100%
Iraq	25,292,658	97%
Uzbekistan	23,897,563	89%
Yemen	20,519,792	99%
China	19,594,707	2%
Syria	16,234,901	88%
Malaysia	14,467,694	61%
Tajikistan	7,137,346	47%
Jordan	5,471,745	95%
Turkmenistan	4,407,352	89%
Philippines	4,392,873	5%
Kyrgystan	4,117,024	80%
Thailand	3,272,218	5%
Oman	2,971,567	99%
Lebanon	2,257,351	59%
Kuwait	1,985,300	85%
United Arab Emirates	1,948,041	76%

Asia's Terrorist Safe Havens and Hotbeds

Pakistan and Afghanistan Border: For decades, the mountainous and sparsely populated Afghan-Pakistani border has been an autonomous area, with little control by Islamabad or Kabul. The Northwest Frontier Province (NWFP) and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) of Pakistan have been a safe haven for AQ fighters since the fall of the Taliban in December 2001. The FATA also includes Islamist groups and local tribesmen who continue to resist the government�s efforts to improve governance and administrative control at the expense of longstanding local autonomy. Bringing government services to this region, and turning an AQ safe haven into a regularly administered province of Pakistan, remains an important objective in the global war on terror. This is where the big fish in the terrorism pond swim. This is where ideologies brew into the bitter taste of terrorism. The tribal areas along the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan has for over two decades been the training grounds for the terrorists that hit the U.S. on 911 , Great Britain on 7/7, and the home to some of the biggest drug lords in the world. Whether we are talking about al Qaeda, The Taliban, Kashmir conflict, suicide bombers in Europe, nuclear technology to rogue states or just about anything having to do with Terrorism outside of Israel, the Pakistan/Afghanistan border area more than likely played a part in it in some way.. It is the safest of the safe havens for terrorists and drug lords. No one wants to deal with this area. It is harsh, dangerous and the tribal areas provide the perfect cover and protection for the worlds most eager and connected terrorists. If ever we are going to put a true dent in terrorism in the world it has to start here. It has to be on both sides of this border and it has to be harsh without regard. It is the frontier of terrorism and has to be swept clean. It is a very delicate situation as the US and allied forces are stretched thin from deployments and Pakistan's embattled leader, Musharraf, has gone as far as to to sign truces with the tribes in the area to settle the violence in his cities. The question is not whether this sweep of the area is going to have to happen but a matter of when and by who. The Taliban and al Qaeda has more support in this region than the Pakistan and Afghanistan leadership. Words such as America , democracy and peace have a very negative meaning to them while al Qaeda, It appears that no one with a vested interests in stopping terrorism possesses the firepower or the stomach for the bloodshed that will occur in attempting to tame this lawless and troublesome region.

Southeast Asia: Throughout Asia there are terrorist organizations, insurgencies, and revolutionaries of all kinds. However, what sets terrorist groups operating in Southeast Asia apart is the intimate nature of cooperation among groups. Although insurgent groups in Southeast Asia's terrorist brotherhood do not share the same goals, their cooperation across national boundaries creates an economy of scale for logistics, training, and safe havens. For example, Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) have trained with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in camps in the southern Philippines; GAM smuggles weapons with the Thai terrorist group Pattani United Liberation Organization (PULO), and many terrorists use regional connections to move from country to country.

Many senior members of today's Southeast Asian terrorist groups were introduced and trained during the Afghan war against Soviet occupation. The jihad call by Southeast Asian terrorists to battle against Christians in the Moluccas islands of Indonesia solidified the bond in their region. Although the islands were evenly divided between Christians and Muslims, in 1999 sectarian violence exploded, sparking nearly three years of bloody fighting. By the time peace was re-established in 2003, more than 5,000 people had died and another 350,000 people were displaced. The sectarian conflict attracted Islamic extremist groups from across Southeast Asia, including Kumpulan Militan Malaysia, Laskar Jihad, and Jemaah Islamiyah. The fight against the Moluccas Christians gained many new recruits and produced a new generation of regional leaders with shared combat experience that will carry on in the next generation. However anti-terrorism has put a dent in the organizations in Southeast Asia as many leaders have been killed especially in the Philippines where US and Philippine security forces have weakened or destroyed major networks

East Asia includes a maritime safe haven area composed of the Sulawesi/Celebes Sea and Sulu Archipelago, which sit astride the maritime boundary between Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines. The physical geography of the thousands of islands in the region makes them very difficult for authorities to monitor. Thus, they are well suited to terrorist operations and activities, such as movement of personnel, equipment, and funds. This area represents a safe haven for the AQ-linked Jemaah Islamiya (JI) group.

The southern Philippines and Sabah, Malaysia. The Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), responsible for multiple bombings and kidnappings throughout the southern Philippines in recent years, remains active despite the loss of key leaders and Philippine military operations against the group. In addition, some JI members have obtained safe haven in Mindanao in areas under the control of elements of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Abu Sayyaf Group. The Government of the Republic of the Philippines (GRP) is addressing the JI presence through military operations and ongoing peace talks with the MILF. The Government of Malaysia is mediating the GRP-MILF peace talks. The U.S. Institute for Peace is supporting the process by facilitating dialogue on contentious issues such as control of territory. The GRP-MILF talks have made progress, and could lead to a formal peace agreement that would be crucial in addressing the issue of safe haven in the long term. Two specific mechanisms have grown out of the peace process to increase cooperation between the Philippine Government and the MILF. The Coordinating Committee for the Cessation of Hostilities (CCCH) allows Philippine Government and MILF representatives to broker cease-fire violations. The Ad Hoc Joint Action Group provides a framework for Philippine Government and MILF representatives to cooperate against terrorists and criminals in MILF areas, and has operated with some success over the last year.

Indonesia. JI has had links to al-Qaida and was responsible for the August 2003 bombing of the Marriott Hotel in Jakarta and the bombing outside the Australian Embassy in September 2004. While Indonesia has significantly improved its efforts to control the maritime boundary area with the Philippines, the area remains difficult to control, surveillance is partial at best, and traditional smuggling and piracy groups provide an effective cover for terrorist activities in the area.

Lebanon The Lebanese Government recognizes several terrorist organizations, including Hizballah, which holds several seats in Parliament, as "legitimate resistance groups" and permits them to maintain offices in Beirut and elsewhere around the country. The Lebanese Government recently agreed to work to control the weapons of Palestinian militias outside the refugee camps within six months and, for the first time, is discussing possible limits to Hizballah�s arms. Although Syria withdrew its military forces in April 2005, it maintains an intelligence presence in Lebanon and continues to offer support and facilitate arms smuggling to Hizballah and Palestinian terrorist groups. Because the Government of Lebanon does not exercise effective control over areas in the south and inside the Palestinian refugee camps, terrorists can operate relatively freely in those areas.

Yemen Several terrorist organizations continued to maintain a presence in Yemen throughout 2005. The Government of Yemen recognizes HAMAS and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) as legal organizations. HAMAS conducted extensive fundraising through mosques and other charitable organizations and maintains offices. In December, HAMAS leader Khaled Mishal visited Sanaa and met publicly with President Saleh. Al-Qaida�s operational structure in Yemen has been weakened and dispersed, but concerns remain about the organization's attempts to reconstitute operational cells there. Yemen continues to increase its maritime security capabilities, but land border security along the extensive frontier with Saudi Arabia remains a problem, despite increased Yemeni-Saudi cooperation on bilateral security issues.

Failed States Initiative

Failed states are countries in which the central government does not exert effective control over, nor is it able to deliver vital services to, significant parts of its own territory due to conflict, ineffective governance, or state collapse. Current examples in Africa include Somalia, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Sudan. Failing states�those in which the central government's hold on power and/or territory is tenuous�also pose a serious threat. They are often countries emerging from, or on the brink of, conflict such as Angola, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe, Liberia, Burundi, and Cote D'Ivoire. Still others, including Nigeria are weak, if not yet clearly failing states. At present, the preponderance of state failures is in Africa. While the problem is not exclusively African, the prevalence of failing states there suggests the need for U.S. administration policies to help stabilize African states as a strategic interest of the United States, and to allocate resources accordingly.

First, these states provide convenient operational bases and safe havens for international terrorists. Terrorist organizations take advantage of failing states' porous borders, of their weak or nonexistent law enforcement and security services, and of their ineffective judicial institutions to move men, weapons and money around the globe. They smuggle out precious resources like diamonds and narcotics that help fund their operations. Terrorist organizations may also recruit foot soldiers from local populations, where poor and disillusioned youth often harbor religious or ethnic grievances.