Study shows detainees going to Syria to answer God’s call, seek redemption

The desire to help Syrians suffering at the hands of their own government and a drive to seek atonement for sins were primary motivators for a few of the 30 Malay Muslim men detained by Malaysian police over links to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (Isis). The 30, currently detained in Sungai Buloh prison, participated in a study by International Islamic University associate professor Dr Maszlee Malik. In his interviews with them, the academic also found that most were frustrated with the Malaysian government, which they found corrupt and inept. To them, Putrajaya was another example of how Muslim democracies all over the world have failed to help oppressed Muslims, such as Syrians and the Rohingya in Myanmar, the study showed. The findings shed light on what drives Malay Muslims to join or support militant groups in Syria as the authorities here continue to root out home-grown terror cells. The 30 in the survey are part of more than 100 individuals detained under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012 since 2014 over suspected militant activities. Maszlee’s findings differ from previous claims that many of those detained over attempts to join the war in Syria were lured by sex, money and power. “The pictures and videos of children being suffocated by chemical weapons used by (Syrian President Bashar Al-Asad), and the bleeding of civilians made them feel that they are answering God’s calling. “Isis and other mujahideen groups in Syria, for the detainees, are the hope sent by God to the Syrians to save them,” said Maszlee in the study titled “Isis in Malaysia: a case study” obtained by The Malaysian Insider. Maszlee, who is also a senior fellow at the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS), also found that the 30 detainees came from diverse backgrounds and not all of them supported Isis’s violent ideology. Four were former PAS members, who said they did not support Isis nor share its ideology. “At least more than five of them don’t even have any clue on which group to join, as their main intention is just to go to Syria to help the civilians murdered by the Assad regime. “At least four of them initially went to Syria with relief NGOs but later decided to join the war in order to go closer to the heart of the war zone. “It is understood that their choice to be part of the Syrians’ struggle in their jihad was mainly personal and not driven by ideological motivation.” Maszlee’s paper, however, did not provide a breakdown of the supporter or non-supporter of Isis among the 30. His findings, which looked more at personal rather than ideological motivations, were released amid news that two Malaysians had carried out suicide missions for Isis in Syria and Iraq recently. In Sungai Petani, Kedah, police arrested a teenager who held a woman at knife-point at a supermarket purportedly to “show” that he was an Isis member. Seeking redemption The study divided the individuals into four groups: activists who came back from Syria and who allegedly participated in the war; those accused of being linked to global terrorist network al-Qaeda; those who joined ‘Negara Islam Indonesia’ (NII) and who later joined Isis. They were also those accused of being hard-core Isis sympathisers, and of attending meetings involving Isis sympathisers or associating with them through social media. “A few detainees, especially from the NII-affiliated group, decided to go to Syria to start a new life after their repentance,” the study said. These individuals left their previous lifestyles which involved alcohol and drug abuse, and viewed the so-called Islamic State as a pathway to atonement and an ideal Islamic life, the study said. “Some of the detainees (felt that) Malaysia was too loaded with sinful things that wouldn’t allow them to experience an Islamic life except with difficulties.” Despite the popular view that religious schools, such as pondok and madsrasah, were breeding grounds for terrorism, the study found that only three of the 30 came from such institutions. “The rest of the detainees come from mainstream school, including some dropouts.” Most had little or no exposure to formal religious education, including the compulsory religious studies for Malaysian Muslims in national schools. “Some of them (from the NII-affiliated group) were not really religious before they were exposed to the idea of jihad in Syria.” Only one among the 30 was a university graduate. “Their lack of formal religious education made them vulnerable to radical and extremist religious doctrines which promised them a short cut to heaven or a more idealistic way of practising Islam which is beyond the normal mainstream practices. “Despite their shortcomings, they are adamant that their understanding of Islam is much better than others.” – January 13, 2016.