The dream of Dar ul Islam, or Land of Islam, has been part of Indonesia?s history of blood for a long time, certainly from before the burgeoning of al Qaida. Islamic radicalism in Indonesia has its roots in the 17th century. Since then it has taken different forms at different times, hardening and honing itself through conflicts with Christians, while being sometimes repressed and sometimes used by the respective governments. But the West can see bloodshed only in terms of hurt to citizens of the developed world. So ever since 9/11, the evidently octopus-like al Qaida has been held responsible for all terrorist attacks across the globe. While it would be foolish to insist that al Qaida had nothing to do with terrorist attacks on restaurants in Bali last Saturday night, it would be equally foolish to assume that al Qaida oversaw and supervised the attacks in Bali, this one and the terrible one in October 2002, as well as those in Jakarta and on churches across the country, for the last four years. Experts feel that it is simplistic even to see the Jemaah Islamiyah, the organization blamed for most of these attacks, as just an eastern arm of al Qaida. The Jemaah Islamiyah?s desire make an Islamic country of Indonesia is akin to the central Asian Islamists? dream of creating regional hegemonies of the faithful. In a globalized world, the links between al Qaida and Jemaah are, no doubt, material as well. But Indonesia has its own share of radical groups, the Kompak and the Thoifah Muqatilah, for example, with their circulation of leaders and loyalties. There is a big enough pool of local youngsters willing to kill themselves, and local planning and expert execution once the targets have been chosen.

It is impossible not to see the resentment of real deprivation behind an attack which no one has yet claimed to be part of the jihad. The exclusion of local people from high-profile tourist spots, the assault on local forms of behaviour, or, simply, the pageantry of luxury, provide the psychological fuel for anti-Western militancy. Yet the Indonesian people are chiefly moderate, they do not like killers. The government has been steadily capturing terrorists after each attack, and it is careful about pronouncing blame. This care is necessary in a country with a large Muslim population. The president has asked the armed forces to play a strategic and technical role in fighting militancy. Indonesia?s democratic credentials will be put to the test in that fight.