RELIGIOUS extremists detained in Malaysia for involvement in Islamic terror acts are lonely and naive, come from broken families and have a genuine desire to defend their religion at all cost, said terrorism expert Ahmad El-Muhammady.

He said people with these characteristics were “easy prey” for extremist organisations, adding that almost all of the 50 terror suspects, aged between 16 and 50, currently undergoing a rehabilitation programme while being detained in Malaysia, were found to be emotionally and psychologically unstable.

Most lacked religious knowledge, or their understanding of Islam was inaccurate and misinterpreted. Most possessed these characteristics, he said, although there were also a number who did not fit the “type”. Yet, they were involved in militancy.

Islamic State, or IS, provided an answer to their lack of direction in life, said Ahmad.

“They feel empty. But when approached by IS recruiters, they suddenly feel they have a purpose in life and someone to guide them towards fulfilling that purpose.

“IS provides them with a new vision, meaning and direction in life, the very things they yearn for.

“However, they fail to realise that they are being exploited. They believe they are fighting for a just cause and they know the risks involved.”

Ahmad (pic), who is part of a team of about 10 counsellors under Malaysia’s terrorism rehabilitation programme, said 90% of those who completed the programme between 2005 and 2012 still thought that their struggle was the right one.

They still believe that jihad via armed struggle is the solution to the Muslim problems today. But they also admitted that violence was not the solution.

However, only about 7% would re-join terror networks after their release. These are considered hardcore militants. The rest, he said, would not risk incarceration again for their cause.

“These (7%) are a group of stubborn people who still believe in their fight,” he said.

“They were not very receptive to the rehabilitation programme. These are high-risk individuals.”

He added that in some cases, the released detainees would return to IS.

“Yazid Sufaat, Mohd Lotfi Ariffin and Mohd Rafi Udin were among of them who returned to militancy in the name of jihad,” said Ahmad.

Yazid Sufaat – also known as Yazud Sufaat or Yazid Shufaat – is a Malaysian member of Jemaah Islamiyah, who was arrested by Malaysian authorities in 2001. Later, he was found to be involved again in recruiting youths.

The former canteen operator and his colleague, Muhammad Hilmi Hasim, spent seven years in a detention centre under the Internal Security Act, and were released on November 28, 2008. 

However, Yazid and Hilmi were rearrested under the then newly enacted Security Offences (Special Measures) Act, or Sosma, in May 2013.

In January 2016, the High Court sentenced the two men to seven years’ jail after they pleaded guilty to a charge of omitting information related to terrorist acts.

Mohd Lotfi Ariffin, also an ex-ISA detainee, was killed in 2014 in an air raid in Syria.

The 46-year-old was among a group of IS militants and other Malaysian jihadists engaged in a gun battle when Syrian military fighter jets bombed their location three years ago.

Lotfi was the fourth Malaysian killed in Syria. He had previously been involved in several other wars in other countries. He was said to have undergone extensive militant training during that time before heading to Syria where he was tasked with leading the Malaysians.

Another terror suspect is Mohd Rafi Udin. He was among the Kumpulan Mujahiddin Malaysia (KMM) members who left Malaysia for Syria in 2014 to fight alongside IS.

Many of his comrades have since died. It is understood that Rafi is still in Syria and walks with a limp after being injured in an ambush by Syrian President Bashir Al-Assad’s forces two years ago.

Since 2013, a total of 294 people have been arrested in Malaysia for suspected involvement in terror network IS. Of that total, 257 are male and 37 are female.

As part of efforts to reintegrate these detainees into society, Malaysian police organised a terrorist rehabilitation programme where suspects were “mentored” by counsellors for an extended period, even after their release from detention.

About 10 counsellors are assigned to visit their assigned detainees for a period of six months, where they encourage the men and women to discuss their ideologies.

The counsellors are made up of religious leaders and preachers.

Ahmad said the programme was “one of the best in the world”, but admitted there have been cases of recidivism.

He said bringing about change in the psyche of a terrorist would take time, adding that the absolute indoctrination of followers made it difficult to appeal to their sense of morality.

“You cannot expect it to happen after just one session,” he said of the dangers of rushing to assume a former extremist has reformed.

Ahmad said the majority of those attracted to extremist causes did not have much education and exposure to social norms, citing the example of Muhammad Wanndy Mohamed Jedi, who is high on the most-wanted list for his active recruitment of Malaysians to join IS.

“Wanndy has zero academic exposure. I believe that his religious knowledge is also minimal. This means he does not have a comparator or benchmark to judge whether a thing is right or wrong from an Islamic point of view. He learned Islam in the battlefield. That’s the version of Islam that he knows,” said Ahmad.

Extremism is bred when followers have their own community, terms of reference and methodology that differ from the mainstream.

“At this point, when they have a clean slate, they don’t have anyone to help them debate between right and wrong. Especially individuals with minimal or lack of religious knowledge,” said Ahmad.

He said that because of the high chance of former detainees returning to their old ways, all were still monitored after their release and counsellors were required to meet them frequently.

“They may not be well-educated academically but they were all well-schooled in their fields. So, we have to be prepared to address their concerns and listen to what they have to say.”

He said the most popular topic of debate with detainees was the perceived injustice against Muslims abroad and locally, which many used as a justification for their violent acts.

“To them, it is justifiable to declare war against others because in the current situation, it was the only way to conduct jihad.” – April 2, 2017.