Summary: Darul Islam ("Community of Islam") is an umbrella term for both a philosophical movement and a terrorist group long active in some parts of Indonesia. In one case, DI in Indonesia refers to specific guerrilla groups active in the 1950s that wanted to establish an Islamist state in newly independent Indonesia. It also refers to a more general Indonesian Islamist movement that includes myriad break-away groups. In both cases, the goal of DI remains the same: the creation of Negara Islam Indonesia, or the Islamic Nation of Indonesia, governed by Sharia (religious law). In most accounts, the DI insurgency ended in 1965. Subsequently, however, the principles of the original Darul Islam movement were adopted by other Islamist groups. Of these, Jemaah Islamiya has been the most prominent. In some cases, the terms "Darul Islam" and "Jemaah Islamiya" are used interchangeably. In 2005, the International Crisis Group described Darul Islam as a "very loose but enduring web of personal contacts that extends to most of the major islands in Indonesia." A range of terrorist attacks, such as the 2002 and 2005 bombings of nightclubs catering to foreigners on the island of Bali, have variously been attributed to specific organizations - for example, Jemaah Islamiya - and to Darul Islam. Though its splinter groups became more prominent in the 2020s, Darul Islam remained a threat due to underground networks operated by DI veterans. According to the Indonesian police, the continued existence of DI in Indonesia was proven by the arrest of members believed to be planning low-level attacks with the aim of government overthrow. Still, others argued the continued DI threat was exaggerated.
