The following is an excerpt from the ACEHKINI magazine edition April 2009. This puzzle pieces of knowledge is posted in order for us to be introduced to the background and help us see a bigger picture and understand the reflections on the jihad in Aceh, which will be featured here in the future, insha Allah.

Watching The Jihad Warriors In The Vicinity of Exxon

“Allahu Akbar… Allahu Akbar!” yelled a number of youth loudly. Scattering about after jumping off from the pick-up vehicle. Their faces were covered with clothes, only the eyes were shown exactly like the guerillas in Palestine. “We are just back from jihad,” said one of the them. The Jihad that he meant was not the actual jihad but merely a kind of 'exercise.'

Last January, the hill of Cot Kareung in the village of Blang Weu Panjoe, Blang Mangat sub-district, Lhokseumawe province, really changed into something like a battlefield. Each time, the religious students from various pesantrens (madrassa) who wished to conduct jihad in Palestine gathered, not to learn religious knowledge, but self-defense.

The FPI (Front Pembela Islam or Defenders of Islam Front), is behind the 'combat training' underwent by the youth. A pesantren was established as a headquarter, its name is Darul Mujahidin. The leadership of the pesantren which had the slogan “living honorably with the death of shaheed”, stated that it has produced dozens of graduates who are prepared to assist the Palestinian fighters in fighting the Israeli soldiers.

This pesantren facilitates all the needs of the prospective warriors, from accommodations to logistics. An open terrain located side by side with the pipeline path belonging to Exxon Mobil, the oil giant from the America, was used for their training ground.

Concerning the trainers in the science of war and self-defense, it was taken care of by the Central FPI in Jakarta. Two trainers were sent to teach the basic techniques of self-defense, movements of hands and legs, as well as the effective ways of disabling opponents. The basic science in military was taught by a special tutor sent from Jakarta.

The leader of Aceh FPI, Yusuf Al Qardhawi, said that the training in combat and guerilla war tactics were given by Abu Alyas, 38 years. Alyas, he said, is a Mujahideen who had experiences in Afghanistan, fought along with the Abu Sayyaf camp in Southern Phillipines and joined the Hamas fighters.

“We don't look at ethnicity. We only look at religion, in order to implement the amar makruf nahi mungkar, in order to be strong we must be networked,” Tengku Muslim At-Thahiri, other leader of Aceh FPI told ACEHKINI, last January.

The system of recruitment for the warriors is not the same as in other pesantrens in Aceh. A series of selection processes have to be passed, including the tests on religious knowledge, obedience in practicing ibaadah and the most important is the readiness to die in the Gaza strip. The last phase, which is the deciding factor in getting through, is to pass the physical training.

The fans of jihad in Aceh are considered to be many. According to Muslim, there were 500 religious students who registered. But not all got through the selection process. “100 got through the administration round, but from the training the number dropped again, only 80 remained and are ready to be dispatched to Palestine,” he explained. “We are only preparing the basics, then when they are in Palestine, they will be trained again.”

15 Aceh Mujahideen To Conduct Jihad In Gaza

End of January, the Darul Mujahideen was getting quiet again. But, the 'scent' of the FPI did remain in the form of a sheet of banner displayed at the entrance gate. It says, “bad ulama's are more dangerous than Dajjal.” A spirit-burning slogan was left behind in this former headquarters of the militants, “rumoh ureung meujihad (houses of the mujahids),” clearly written at the halls.

Not only that, the village children now are also active in playing combat tricks. Before studying the Qur'an after Magrib, they filled in the time by displaying actions similar to the militants of Gaza. “Allahu Akbar….Allahu Akbar!” screamed the little religious students while brandishing pieces bamboo as if they are guns.

The militant graduates of the Darul Mujahidin had been returned to their bases, getting ready to be sent to Gaza. In line with that, other religious students were still busy collecting funds from road users. According to Muslim, the Central FPI is the one responsible for the dispatching of the volunteers to Palestine.

Early last month, “At least 15 Mujahideen out of 60 who were declared as passing the selection and recruitment by the FPI of the State of Aceh Darussalam, Friday (6/2), had a farewell ceremony held for them at Pesantren Markaz al-Ishlah al-Aziziyah, Lueng Bata, Banda Aceh. 15 warriors of the Exxon's neighborhood graduates would be sent to the headquarters of the Central FPI in Jakarta and join other Mujahideens from all over Indonesia, who are said to have fulfilled the criterion for conducting jihad in Palestine against the aggression of the Zionist Israel,”¯ the leader of Aceh FPI, Yusuf Al Qardhawi, said. While, the rest will be sent as necessary by the Central FPI. “They will be dispatched very soon.”

According to Yusuf Al-Qardhawi, the Mujahids who had passed would not only be sent to Palestine, but to all Muslim countries in the world which are in need. He said, the next groups will be sent in phases. When the Muslim countries asked for help, then recruitment of Mujahideen in a grand scale will be conducted.

Amongst the 15 Mujahideen from the first group, four of them are ready to execute martyrdom bombing acts and two are snipers. “We called them shaheed bombing team. Not suicide bombers because that term has a negative connotation which was labeled by the foreign medias,” he said.

When asked for the reason why the four individuals are ready to become a shaheed bombing team, Yusuf told that during the entire trainings, they had been tested in terms of mental and physical. “During the trainings, the Mualim (teacher) declared that those four individuals are already ready in body and soul to become a shaheed bombing team. They are genuine Mujahideen and they are the chosen people,” he said.

“We called them the ‘Mujahidin Al Alami’ or international Mujahideen who are ready to be dispatched anywhere for the defense of the Islamic ummah,” he said. “They have become the forces of Allah who are prepared to defend the religion of Islam.”

Yusuf explained that the Amir (Commander) for the team is Abu Faiz, a man who hailed from the town of Sabang, who would supervise 14 mujahideen which includes the two snipers and the 4 man jihad bombing team.

He said, in order to enter Palestine, the Mujahideen will attempt to use the available chances and opportunities, regardless of any obstacle which will hamper them because the intentions of Shaheed Fisabilillah are already implanted within.

Yusuf said that to become a Mujahideen is not easy, they have to pass a series of tests, be it in physical or knowledge, what's more important is the mastery of religious knowledge (Al-Quran and Hadith) besides having the required permission from parents, and wives if already married, as well as enclosing an approval letter from Geuchik (village head).

The Mujahideen had performed Baiat or promise signed on a six thousand Rp stamp duty document, ready to die fisabilillah and conduct jihad wholeheartedly without compulsion, and if they were to come out safe they cannot return in a period of 1 year, Yusuf explained.

In the opportunity, all the 15 Mujahideen were given instructions and guidelines, as well as farewell ceremony by Abuya Tgk H Djamaluddin Waly.

Abuya advised the Mujahideen so that the intentions that had been implanted in the hearts which are solely for fisabilillah, are not inverted by other purposes, because the intention of helping the Palestinians from the shackles of Israel is noble and if they die in it, it would be considered as shaheed.

The people who struggled in Allah's cause, if their intentions are sincere, then their death would be shaheed, and when they die fighting the kafir and zionist, the janazas need not be washed, and the pain when their souls are drawn out are just like being bitten by ants,” Abuya said.

Abuya asked the Mujahideen to look after their health and increase their ibaadah to Allah, keep supplicating and work hard so that their purposes and goals of helping the Palestinians in expelling the Zionist from the Arab lands are accomplished.