Indonesia bans ISIS teaching and support

Indonesia's government has announced the teachings of ISIL, also known as ISIS, are rejected and banned.

Indonesia worker removes ISIS graffiti

A government worker removes ISIS flags painted on to walls near Veteran Street in Surakarta City to discourage the promotion of the jihadist group in the region.

Indonesia has banned support for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) as Australia looks to sharpen its laws against terrorist groups.

Indonesia's government on Monday announced that the teachings of ISIL, also known as ISIS, had been rejected and banned as they were contrary to the state ideology, Pancasila.

The action follows a YouTube video in which an Indonesian man, identified as Muhamad al-Indonesi, urged his countrymen to join the ISIS cause.

Indonesia's government has also confirmed that Bali bombing mastermind Abu Bakar Bashir has pledged an oath of allegiance to ISIS from the high-security central Java jail where he is serving 15 years.

A photo of the oath, apparently held on July 18 in the jail's prayer room, shows the radical cleric among a group of men, one of whom is holding an ISIS flag.

Justice Minister Amir Syamsuddin says the guards that allowed the pledge to take place would be punished, and prison security boosted to ensure such breaches don't recur.

The Jakarta Post newspaper reports 24 of 43 terrorism prisoners in the island jail - known as Indonesia's Alcatraz - took the oath.

Bashir was acquitted over the 2002 Bali bombings, but was jailed over his role in setting up a terrorist cell in Aceh.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott on Tuesday announced new laws to broaden the listing criteria for terrorist organisations and make it easier to arrest suspects.

When Mr Abbott and Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono met in Batam, Indonesia, in June, they discussed the need to re-establish intelligence sharing in light of fighting in Syria.

Intelligence co-operation has been frozen since last year's spy scandal, pending a new code of conduct.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop will this weekend meet her Indonesian counterpart Marty Natalegawa on the sidelines of the ASEAN ministers meeting in Myanmar, where they will set a date to finalise the code.

Indonesia knows of about 60 citizens fighting with ISIS, and has pledged to detect and deter more from joining them.


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