Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) -- Ally (Suspected)
al-Qaeda -- Ally
Komando Jihad (Indonesian) -- Shared Members
Kumpulan Mujahidin Malaysia (KMM) -- Ally
Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) -- Ally (Suspected)
Mujahideen KOMPAK -- Rival
Nusantara Islamic Jihad Forces -- Shared Members

<a href="terrorist_organizations_by_country.asp?id=ID">Indonesia</a>, <a href="terrorist_organizations_by_country.asp?id=MY">Malaysia</a>, <a href="terrorist_organizations_by_country.asp?id=RP">Philippines</a>, <a href="terrorist_organizations_by_country.asp?id=SN">Singapore</a>

Charities; Fundraisers; Domestic and international businesses operating as fronts for JI; al-Qaeda

Jemaah Islamiyah, which means "Islamic Community," was formed in Johor, Malaysia around 1993. While Jemaah Islamiyah did not exist as a violently brutal terrorist entity until 1993, the group's roots began to take shape years earlier. In 1973 two Muslim clerics, Abdullah Sungkar and Abu Bakar Bashir, formed a pesantren in Solo, Indonesia called Pondok Ngruki. At this time, the men were supporters of Darul Islam, a conservative Islamic movement. In addition, the two clerics had formulated the radical goal of creating an Islamic state in Indonesia. <P><br /><br />In 1978, Sungkar and Bashir were arrested in Indonesia for subversive activities. Upon their release, the men left Indonesia for Malaysia and settled in the Indonesian-expatriate community in Johor. No longer living in Indonesia, the two men now expanded their radical goals beyond the original objective of an Islamic state in Indonesia. Sungkar and Bashir now supported the creation of an Islamic state across Southeast Asia to include Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, southern Thailand, and southern Philippines. <P><br /><br />Upon the eventual formation of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) around 1993, the group actively advocated the use of violence to attain its goals. By the late 1990s, JI was recruiting and training extremists for the purpose of terrorist actions in Southeast Asia. Jemaah Islamiyah has shown the ability and willingness to inflict significant casualties on innocent civilians (including tourists) and those they believe to be allied with "Western interests." JI was linked to several bombings in 2000. The terrorist violence, often brutal and fatal, continues to this day. On October 12, 2002, Jemaah Islamiyah inflicted the horrific Bali bombings, killing over 200 people.