[4] Throughout the history, Banser had played major roles especially in issues related to religion, from the active participation in Indonesian mass killings of 1965–1966 against the perceived members of Indonesian Communist Party,[5] to the more recent development of standoff against Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia.

[6] In terms of political orientation, Banser, along with GP Ansor, is characterized by traditionalist Islam, populism and nationalism.

Banoe Malang was then under the advisory of the Indonesian Army commander Major Hamid Roesdi, and these two are considered the founding figures of Banser.

Banser commanders have the communication channel toward the chairman of GP Ansor albeit limited to consultation.

This organizational pattern is creating a semi-autonomous status of Banser, which is given by the chairman of GP Ansor and characterized by the higher autonomy on inter-organizational issues and higher dependency on GP Ansor on external interests of Banser.