Allah's Torch: A Report from Behind the Scenes in Asia's War on Terror

321 Pages·2006·1.12 MB·English

by  Tracy Dahlby

A ’
L L A H S
TRACY DAHLBY
T
O R C H
A Report from Behind the Scenes
in Asia’s War on Terror
For Toshiko
Everything that irritates us about others can
lead us to an understanding of ourselves.
—C.G.JUNG

C
ONTENTS
Epigraph
A Note to Readers xi
PROLOGUE:
Radical Mystery Tour 1
Part One
1 Holy War 11
2 Unbottled Lightning 20
3 Unhappy Campers 33
4 Mike 50
5 Murderers and Thieves 62
6 Paradise 71
7 Frogs 85
8 Original Sin 96
9 Escape 108
Part Two
10 Battle of Wills 125
11 Hidden Force 137
12 Fear Itself 150
|
vii Contents
13 Fatwa 168
14 Rizieq 186
15 Dead Men Walking 199
16 Lair 211
17 Terror High 222
18 The Mellow and the Brave 243
19 Wild Horses 256
20 Java Man 269
Epilogue: Jihad Everlasting 283
Acknowledgments 289
Suggested Reading 291
Index 295
About the Author
Credits
Cover
Copyright
About the Publisher
A N R
OTE TO EADERS
In our ultrasensitive times, a word about the title of
this book is in order. Allah’s Torch is meant to stand, as
the alert reader will know, for the light-giving qual-
ities transmitted through Islam, one of the world’s
great traditions. Like all things great and good, how-
ever, that same torch, when hoisted in human hands,
can be used either to illuminate the darkness or
amplify it. How it’s wielded in our world today, and
to what end, rests, as I hope the following pages will
attest, on the actions and intentions of all of us, Mus-
lim and non-Muslim alike. You should also know
that this is a work of personal experience, memory,
and opinion, all anchored in firsthand observation;
in a small number of cases, it has been necessary to
change names and physical details to protect people’s
privacy. Finally, all journeys are by nature unique.
Other travelers will churn up other visions of
Indonesia and the dramatic events now shaping its
neighborhood in Southeast Asia.This one is mine.
TRACY DAHLBY
New York City, 2004