The 1998 East Java ninja scare was an outbreak of
mass hysteria
Mass psychogenic illness (MPI), also called mass sociogenic illness, mass psychogenic disorder, epidemic hysteria, or mass hysteria, involves the spread of illness symptoms through a population where there is no infectious agent responsible for c ...
in
East Java
East Java ( id, Jawa Timur) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia located in the easternmost hemisphere of Java island. It has a land border only with the province of Central Java to the west; the Java Sea and the Indian Ocean bord ...
,
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
, in which the local population believed they were being targeted by sorcerers known as
ninja
A or was a covert agent or mercenary in feudal Japan. The functions of a ninja included reconnaissance, espionage, infiltration, deception, ambush, bodyguarding and their fighting skills in martial arts, including ninjutsu.Kawakami, pp. 2 ...
, who were blamed for mysterious killings of religious leaders by assassins dressed in black. As many as 150-300 “sorcerers” were killed between February and October, with the most deaths occurring between August and September.
Background
According to Jason Brown,
Banyuwangi
Banyuwangi, previously known as Banjoewangi, is the administrative capital of Banyuwangi Regency at the far eastern end of the island of Java, Indonesia. It had a population of 106,000 at the 2010 Census and 117,558 at the 2020 Census.
The tow ...
is a centre of black magic in Indonesia. Black magic practiced in Banyuwangi is a mix of animist beliefs and Islamic mysticism which developed from inter-religious conflict during the 16th century Mataram court period. Belief in black magic, or
dukun santet, is widespread in the area.
Events
The killings began in
Banyuwangi Regency
Banyuwangi Regency is a regency ( id, kabupaten) of East Java province in Indonesia. This regency also known as ''the sun rise of Java'' because it is located at the easternmost end of Java Island. It serves as a port between Java and Bali. It i ...
in February. Organized assassins, dressed in black from which they gained the name ninja, began attacking leaders affiliated with
Nahdlatul Ulama
Nahdlatul Ulama (, , NU) is an Islamic organization in Indonesia. Its membership estimates range from 40 million (2013) to over 95 million (2021), making it the largest Islamic organization in the world. NU also is a charitable body funding sch ...
. Local people began to hunt down and kill anyone who they believed to be ‘ninjas’ in response. About five people were killed between February and July. In the month of August, 40 people were killed, and in September the number rose to 80.
On 18 October 1998, five men were killed in the Turen area. One was beaten to death, one was burned and three were beheaded. On 20 October 1998, three killings occurred. Two had been seized from a police car by vigilantes who reportedly slit their throats, and the third was the man whose head was paraded on a stake.
On 24 October at Gondanglegi,
Malang Regency
The Malang Regency is a regency in East Java, Indonesia. Malang Regency is the second largest regency in East Java after Banyuwangi Regency, with a total area of 3,530.65 km2. Malang is rich in potential for agriculture, medicinal plants an ...
, another five suspected ninjas were killed by villagers. One victim was burnt to death while another one was beheaded.
Local press reports
On 1 October 1998, the Surabaya Post reported “a rumour about the existence of attacks by ninja-like squads” that were targeting “community leaders as well as
ulama
In Islam, the ''ulama'' (; ar, علماء ', singular ', "scholar", literally "the learned ones", also spelled ''ulema''; feminine: ''alimah'' ingularand ''aalimath'' lural are the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious ...
. As a result, the residents near Islamic boarding schools undertake tight guards around the houses of ulamas who have become targets.” On 4 October 1998, the Jawa Pos reported that “prayer teachers are in the sights of groups of dozens of killers who wear all-black clothes and masks like ninjas.”
Casualties
A Nahdlatul Ulama investigation team found that 143 ‘ninja’ were killed in Banyuwangi and 105 in other regions of East Java such as
Jember
Jember Regency is a regency of East Java province, Indonesia. The population was 2,332,726 at the 2010 census and 2,536,729 at the 2020 Census. Its administrative capital is the urban area of Jember, which with 359,184 inhabitants in 2020 is t ...
,
Sumenep
Sumenep Regency ( Indonesian: ''Kabupaten Sumenep'', Madurese: ''Kabhupatèn Songennep'', Carakan: ''꧋ꦏꦧꦸꦥꦠꦺꦤ꧀ꦱꦺꦴꦔꦼꦤ꧀ꦤꦼꦥ꧀꧉'', Pèghu: ''كابوڤاتين سَوڠٓنّٓڤ'', Lontara': ᨀᨅᨘᨄ ...
and
Pasuruan
Pasuruan ( nl, Pasoeroean) is a city in East Java, Java, Indonesia. It had a population of 186,262 at the 2010 Census and 208,006 at the 2020 Census.
It is surrounded by, but administratively separate from, Pasuruan Regency. It is located around ...
, making the total documented death toll 248, though it may be higher.
Theories
There have been a number of theories regarding who was behind the original organised killing of the Nahdlatul Ulama religious leaders.
Abdurrahman Wahid
Abdurrahman Wahid ( ; born Abdurrahman ad-Dakhil; 7 September 1940 – 30 December 2009), though more colloquially known as Gus Dur (), was an Indonesian politician and Islamic religious leader who served as the 4th president of Indonesia, fr ...
, then head of
Nahdlatul Ulama
Nahdlatul Ulama (, , NU) is an Islamic organization in Indonesia. Its membership estimates range from 40 million (2013) to over 95 million (2021), making it the largest Islamic organization in the world. NU also is a charitable body funding sch ...
, claimed they were ordered by elite politicians.
References
{{Reflist
1998 in Indonesia
History of East Java
Religiously motivated violence in Indonesia
Scares
Ninja
Banyuwangi (town)
Asian shamanism
Crimes involving Satanism or the occult
Mass psychogenic illness
Moral panic