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View all search resultsMore than a handshake: Decoding the Ba’asyir-Jokowi encounter
For Jokowi, the meeting with Ba'asyir reinforced his identity as a unifying figure, even in retirement.
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Former president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo (left) welcomes visiting Muslim cleric Abu Bakar Ba'asyir on Sept. 29, 2025 at his private residence in Surakarta, Central Java. (Kompas.com/Fristin Intan Sulistyowati)
O
n Sept. 29, former Jamaah Islamiyah spiritual leader Abu Bakar Ba’asyir visited former president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo in Surakarta, Central Java. The meeting lasted less than half an hour. It looked ordinary. But it was not.
For me, the images carried weight. I grew up in Ba’asyir’s Al Mukmin Islamic boarding school in Ngruki, Sukoharjo, near Surakarta. Later, I became a journalist and scholar.
While pursuing my master’s degree at St Andrews University in Scotland, I interviewed ex-IRA supporters in Northern Ireland who explained how Bobby Sands’ death became more powerful than a thousand rifles. I stood on the Syrian border, watching Abu Muhammad al-Jolani trade fatigues for a suit to appear on TV as a political leader rather than a rebel commander.
These encounters taught me something simple: Symbols matter more than we admit.
The handshake between Jokowi and Ba’asyir was not mere courtesy. It was a performance, rich with meaning, open to competing interpretations.
Why did Jokowi, whose administration conducted a crackdown on hardline Islamic groups, agree to see Ba’asyir?
The answer lies in Javanese culture. Power is not only about decisions. It is also about gestures. Jokowi has always understood this. Eating bakso (meatball) at roadside stalls. Visiting flood victims without pomp. Sitting cross-legged with clerics. These acts projected humility and closeness. They built trust.
