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Terrorist financing behind religious charities
Religious narratives successfully raise funds, particularly during global conflicts involving the Muslim world.
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Members of police counterterrorism squad Densus 88 arrest on Aug. 14, 2023, a man identified as Dananjaya Erbening (fourth left) at his house in Bekasi, West Java. The squad also seized dozens of fire arms. (Antara/Fakhri Hermansyah)
T
hree days before Indonesian Independence Day, police counterterrorism squad Densus 88 arrested a man identified as Dananjaya Erbening for his alleged involvement in terrorist activities in Bekasi, West Java. Dananjaya, an employee of state railway company (PT KAI), was affiliated with the Islamic State (IS) group in Indonesia as an active supporter.
The police seized dozens of firearms and hundreds of ammunitions from the suspected terrorist. The police also suspect that Dananjaya is involved in terrorism financing, including managing crowdfunding operations under the Anshor Peduli Muhajir (APM) group on Facebook.
The APM maintains multiple accounts as crowdfunding platforms for donations destined for Syria under the narrative of aiding the families of mujahidin (people who perform jihad) at the Al Hol camp.
The kind of financing that was uncovered in Dananjaya's case requires attention as it is a critical facet of terrorism.
Indonesians are known for their generosity. The 2022 World Giving Index (WGI) ranked Indonesia as the most generous country in the world. Even amid the pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic, Indonesians managed to uphold their strong tradition of donating to those in need.
Furthermore, Kitabisa.com, an online fundraising and donation platform, revealed the presence of around 3,000 foundations, NGOs and social institutions on its platform, with 2.5 million donation transactions and 28,000 social fundraising activities per month. Indonesians' significant interest in donating and supporting those in need is met by various institutions capable of receiving and distributing the funds.
However, this generosity is exploited by terrorist groups. The Indonesian Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) reported that private donations and deviations from legitimate civil society organizations are some commonly used methods. For instance, the Lembaga Amal Zakat Baitul Maal Abdurrahman Bin Auf (LAZ BM ABA) institution in 2021 channeled around Rp 1.2 billion (US$78,766) to the al-Qaeda-linked terrorist organization Jamaah Islamiyah (JI).
