Laskar Jihad, or Holy War Warriors, was formed in 2000 in Ambon, Moluccan Islands, Indonesia, by Jafar Umar Thalib, who studied in Pakistan and fought with the mujahidin in Afghanistan in the late 1980s. Jafar admits to having met Osama bin Laden there but dismisses him saying the al Qaeda chief "knew nothing about true religion". Jafar claims to have rejected al Qaeda funding in 2001.
Laskar Jihad members adhere to the Wahhabi creed of Islam espoused by bin Laden; television is banned in Laskar camps and women wear burqa; but Jafar determined that al Qaeda's ideology is not in line with true Islam.
The group disbanded itself in October 2002.
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Last updated: 08-24-2005 05:42:19
