Terrorist Rehabilitation and Community Engagement in Malaysia and Southeast Asia

Mohd Mizan Aslam, Rohan Gunaratna, Mohd Mizan Aslam, Rohan Gunaratna

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2019
• Print ISBN: 9781032086293
• eBook ISBN: 9781000751277
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Politica e relazioni internazionali
• Subtopic: Politica sociale

The contributors to this book analyse the different approaches and modes of terrorist rehabilitation that have been attempted by Malaysia, and other countries in Southeast Asia.

With an emphasis on the particular contexts within which they operate, this book examines the factors that determine the relative successes and failure of a wide range of community initiatives in integrating terrorists back into society. These initiatives include using methods based on social psychology, religion, and entrepreneurship to develop a comprehensive approach to rehabilitating and deradicalizing terrorists in Malaysia as well as Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines. As such it makes an important contribution to the global policy debate, coloured by the unique characteristics of the South East Asia region.

A valuable resource for researchers and policymakers seeking constructive ways to counter violent extremism.

1 Terrorist rehabilitation and community engagement in Southeast Asia

Rohan Gunaratna

Introduction

An indispensable weapon in the fight against terrorism and extremism is rehabilitation and community engagement. Unless governments work with partners to rehabilitate terrorists and extremists, they will pose a threat to security, spread their ideology and be hailed as heroes. With terrorism and extremism emerging as the tier-one national security threat, it is vital for governments to maintain stability and security by developing rehabilitation programs for inmates and engagement programs for radicalized individuals in the community.

The Southeast Asian region has recognized the significance of rehabilitation but not all the countries challenged by terrorism have succeeded in developing rehabilitation capabilities. While Malaysia and Singapore developed comprehensive and structured programs, Indonesia and the Philippines developed ad hoc and unstructured programs. Although the capabilities differed from country to country, 10 modes of rehabilitation are practiced in the region. They are (1) religious, (2) social and family, (3) educational, (4) vocational, (5) entrepreneurial, (6) cultural, (7) financial, (8) creative arts, (9) recreational and (10) psychological.

Malaysia

The rehabilitation of terrorists and extremists in Malaysia was implemented after the 9/11 attacks in the United States in 2001. The program was built in Kamunting Detention Centre in Taiping, where the communists were also rehabilitated. Laura Khor wrote:

The Malaysian concept of detainee rehabilitation can be traced to the Malayan Emergency, which was a colonial idea and program further developed and adapted to address both Islamic radicalization and provide pathways for terrorist disengagement. The intelligence philosophy and successful policies in the Malayan Emergency served as “lessons learned” for current Malaysian officials who have adapted them to achieve intelligence and counter-terrorism success.

(Khor, The Colonial Foundations of Malaysia’s Terrorist Rehabilitation Program 2013a)

The Internal Security Act (ISA) is a mechanism developed to fight communist insurgency inherited from the British. Although developing intelligence was not the aim, “the program”, Khor added,

affords intelligence officers long-term contact and dialogue with detainees to understand their pathways into terrorist groups and organizations. The rehabilitation program separates the more “hard-line” from the wavering terrorists, which eases information gathering for Malaysian Special Branch. This separation also minimizes radicalization within the rehabilitation program.

(Khor, The Colonial Foundations of Malaysia’s Terrorist Rehabilitation Program 2013a)

The ISA enabled Malaysia to preventively detain its terrorists and extremists until it was abolished in 2011. Since 1948, Malaysia claimed, it rehabilitated 15,000 insurgents, terrorists and extremists in the country with a success rate of 97.5% (Hamidi 2016).

The region including Malaysia witnessed the steadfast rise of Muslim threat groups in the 1990s after their nationals returned from Afghanistan. After fighting communism from 1948 to 1989, Malaysia witnessed the previously mentioned two phases of threats – the al-Qaeda-centric and the ISIS/IS centric threat. In the first phase, 196 Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), Jemaah Anshorut Tauhid (JAT), al-Qaeda (AQ), Darul Islam (DI) and Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) members were arrested in Malaysia, and most of these individuals were rehabilitated and reintegrated under the Internal Security Act (ISA).

ISA 1960 provides powers to stop and prevent any action taken and end the threats. It also provides powers for preventive detention in the name of national security. Section 73(3) of ISA 1960 empowers the police to detain a person for a maximum of 60 days. Until it was attacked by al-Qaeda on September 11, 2001, the United States criticized ISA, but after opening a detention facility at Guantánamo Bay, it refrained from commenting on the use of the ISA.

Understanding Malaysia’s deradicalization program: history and dynamics

The foundation Malaysian Deradicalization programme is a religious rehabilitation and re-education programme to correct religious and political misconceptions. The rehabilitation programmes conducted by the Department of Islamic Development (JAKIM) start after the Ministry of Home Affairs obtain an Order of Detention (OD) or a Restriction Order (RO). ISA detainees are housed in the Kemunting Protective Detention Centre in Taiping under the purview of the Prisons Department. The rehabilitative approach in Malaysia can be traced back to British Secretary for Chinese Affairs in Malaya, E. D. Fleming, who was familiar with the Makronisos experiment for conscripted soldiers in Greece.

The Turf Club in Taiping, Perak, Malaya, was transformed into the Taiping Rehabilitation Camp on December 27, 1949. Influenced by its experience of managing the communist threat, Malaysia’s rehabilitation program has focused on identifying and addressing the deep-seated causes of terrorism, “rather than punishing them” (Hamid 2007). The contemporary programme in Malaysia was formulated and conducted in collaboration with the Police and Prisons Department and JAKIM (Padil 2009).

The religious programmes aim to rehabilitate the detainees by deepening and correcting their understanding about Islamic teachings. After identifying the detainees’ levels of awareness based on an evaluation of their understanding and approach towards Islamic teachings, it instilled awareness of the roles and responsibilities of a Malaysian citizen regardless of religion or race, and his/her responsibility to obey the King. The clerics explained to the detainees that their activities prior to their detention were a threat to the security of the country and against Islamic teaching.

The Malaysian programme is based on the Ahli Sunnah Wal Jamaah approach, an Islamic jurisdiction to counter the extremist interpretations of Islam (Mohd Norzikri Kamruddin 2017). Approaches for rehabilitation programmes were divided into four. The Tafaqquh Fiddin programme was a monthly meeting on Islamic studies. The Special Rehabilitation programme is a four-to-seven-day intensive programme for ten detainees who have shown positive responses by renouncing their religious-militant struggle and ideology. In addition to the Evaluating and Monitoring programme by the police, JAKIM conducted a bi-annual evaluation and monitoring of those who went through the programmes. This procedure includes visits to their houses and the distribution of JAKIM publications. A programme for the detainees’ wives was created as a channel to discuss Islamic issues with regard to the detention of their husbands.

In addition to engaging ISA detainees at Kemunting Protective Detention Centre in Taiping, the late Professor Datuk Dr Muhammad Uthman El Muhammady, fellow of the International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilisation, engaged those reintegrated in Johor, KL, Perak, Sabah, and Selangor with his colleagues. They included Ustaz Abdullah Jalil, senior lecturer, Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia; Professor Wan Suhaimi Wan Abdullah, CASIS; Ust Zamihan al Ghari, JAKIM; Engku Ahmad Engku Ali, senior fellow, Islamic Strategic Research Institute; Dr Ahmad El-Muhammady, a lecturer at the International Islamic University of Malaysia and others. Malaysia’s counterterrorism chief, Datuk Ayob Khan, said: “From 2001 to 2012, we conducted rehab for 289 militant detainees with a 97% success rate. Only seven of those detainees returned to militancy” (Zolkepli 2017).

The most notorious of them was Yazid Sufaat, who was recalcitrant. The soft, hard and mixed approach against Yazid proved to be ineffective. The hard approach refers to act of direct criticism, downgrading, shaming and an accusative tone. As he believed that his approach of fighting the infidels and apostates was right, Yazid become more hostile after Ustaz Zamihan met with him. Although Ustaz Zamihan’s hard approach was criticized, Yazid was also not receptive to the soft or mixed approach. Uthman El Muhammady used the soft approach and rarely the mixed approach. An optimum combination between hard approach and soft approach usually works and is considered the ideal method. To hold a dialogue with Yazid, there were three clerics – Professor Dato Mohd. Yusof Othman, School of Applied Physics Studies, Institute of Islam Hadhari (HADHARI) UKM; the late Professor Datuk Dr Uthman El Muhammady ISTAC; and Dr Zamihan Mat Zin JAKIM.

Shortly after the repeal of the Emergency Ordinance and ISA in July 2012, ISIS/IS and Jabhat al Nusra (JaN, and other interactions of al-Qaeda in Syria) emerged presenting an unprecedented challenge to Malaysian security. ISA enabled police preventive detention – arrest of terrorist suspects before they mounted attacks. Like ISA, it allowed initial detention of 60 days with unlimited renewals based solely on the will of the Home Minister, the new law – Security Offence Act (Special Measures) 2012 (SOSMA) – limited the detention period for up to 28 days after, which the attorney-general could decide whether to prosecute. While those arrested under ISA were detained at two special facilities in Kuala Lumpur or Kemunting Protective Detention Centre in Taiping, those arrested under the newly gazetted SOSMA were detained at a normal prison. As long as ISA was intact, it deterred members of society from advocating, supporting and participating in violence. For inciting and facilitating Malaysians to fight in Syria, Yazid Sufaat was arrested on 21 February 2013. Those arrested under SOSMA, unlike ISA, had to be tried in open court. Although SOSMA was used to disrupt terrorist networks, there was no rehabilitation and reintegration component. The flow of information was also impeded, affecting the ability to disrupt activity and attacks. Under SOSMA, no bail was permitted; rehabilitation fell under the purview of the Prison Department.

To prevent relapses, the reintegrated terrorist was subjected to aftercare by E8 officers. The E8 case officers continued to engage the ex-detainees, providing livelihoods and other forms of assistance such as securing former or new employment. Although some detainees even held to their extremist beliefs, as the rapport was established and they saw the sincerity of financial assistance by the officers, the detainees gave their word not to engage in past activities.

Special Re-education Programmes re-educated family members, especially the spouses and reintegrated beneficiaries and their families. To diffuse, and if possible, erase traces of “Salafi Jihadist” ideology ingrained by their husbands’ ideas, E8 reached out in geographic areas where there were arrests. They highlighted the danger of Wahabi and Salafi teachings and reinforced traditional Sufi Islam, but participation was voluntary. As a result, new information started to flow through, leading E8 also to include non-rehabilitated terrorists and extremists who were still at large and their families. To win over those still holding on to their ideology, the programme also included a dialogue session between participants, E8 and JAKIM clerics. In addition, remnants of groups among the audience who had not been identified earlier came forward and sincerely engaged with E8.

Before release, the E8 team asks the beneficiaries about their plans for future work. They make note of these plans and connect them to the relevant local agencies. Reintegration is conducted through news, text and public discussion, directly to the public rather than to individual terrorist suspects. Because moderate thinking citizens who have access to television, newspapers, the Internet, and a mobile phone know the meaning of “Jihad” and the methods used to manipulate the Quran to achieve their objectives, E8 uses mainstream media and newspapers in providing guidance and explanation related ideology and its relationship to threats. To counter the threat, the content is uploaded onto social media to aid in providing the young generation with the moderate thinking of Islam.

The ISA was repealed by the then Prime Minister Najib Razak without consulting the counterterrorism leadership. The political leadership did not understand the global developments, the regional and national extremist and terrorist threat and the value of ISA in preventive detention and as a deterrence. After ISA was repealed, the police had no option but to release the detainees held in Kemunting.

The official residence for ISA, the Kemunting Protective Detention Centre in Taiping, was formally closed down for terrorist inmates in January 2014. However, due to the wide-ranging agricultural and animal husbandry facilities in Kemunting, criminals were relocated and were rehabilitated. With the emergence of IS, a number of former detainees relapsed. With a dozen Malaysians relapsing either traveling to theatres or planning to mount attacks on Malaysian soil, the rehabilitation and reintegration programme suffered a setback. With ISA repealed, many arrested had to be released. As the threat spiralled out of control, then Prime Minister Najib himself tabled a White Paper titled “Towards Combating the Threat of Islamic State” on 26 November 2014 in Parliament. The paper highlighted the renewed threat especially of Malaysians traveling to fight in Iraq and Syria and conducting attacks on its soil. The RMP has identified 39 Malaysians who have joined militant groups in Syria and Iraq. In addition, 40 individuals who have been influenced by militant ideologies including returnees from Syria have been arrested by the RMP.

Malaysia faces security risks following the return of militants from Syria and Iraq. They have the potential to carry out lone-wolf attacks. Moreover, those who did not have the opportunity to travel to conflict zones may also be inclined to carry out radical and terrorist activities (Malaysia 2014). Since February 2013, 92 IS leaders, members and followers were arrested on Malaysian soil, some of whom were planning to mount attacks. In response, Malaysia enacted the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA) on 7 April 2015. Similar to ISA, POTA enabled detaining suspected terrorists without a warrant up to a maximum time of 60 days by the police, and up to two years and an extension of two years administered by the Terrorism Prevention Board. Those detained under POTA appear before the POTA board, which decides if they will be released or continue for another two years. They reappear every two years and the POTA board would decide after reviewing the feedback from the prisons, police and their experts.

Rehabilitation would be entrusted during the first six months to the prisons, the next six months to the police and the last six months together to the prisons and police when someone was incarcerated at the Kemunting Protective Detention Centre in Taiping. Although rehabilitation is the objective of the facility, Kemunting Protective Detention Centre in Taiping operates under the prisons act. Both Malaysians and foreigners who were arrested belonged mostly to IS and were imprisoned under POTA, POCA, the Penal Code and SOSMA. Most of the foreigners were deported. The Ministry of Home Affairs of Malaysia constituted a panel of experts to deliver rehabilitation since 2016. On 30 March 2017, commissioned by the then DPM, Dato Seri ZAHID Hamidi at Prison Headquarters Kajang, the National Expert Rehabilitation Panel was launched. The ministry of home affairs rehabilitation division set the policy for police and prison. A collaborative and holistic effort between the Royal Malaysia Police, Malaysian Prison Department, and the Ministry of Home Affairs worked with Department of Islamic of Development Malaysia, the Ministry of Education, and others.

Also called the Deradicalization Panel, 47 expert members to the panel were appointed on 21 April 2017. The panel comprised clerics from Malaysian Islamic Development Department (JAKIM), psychologists, academics, social workers, entrepreneurial experts and security personnel. From the al-Qaeda phase to the IS phase, the Malaysian rehabilitation programme was institutionalized. The Prison’s religious unit and Police Counter Terrorism Division E8 brought on a range of partners. The number of rehabilitation experts grew from five to six, to 40 to 50. While religious rehabilitation remained the main focus, the approaches to rehabilitation grew in educational, vocational, social and family, recreational, creative arts, psychological and financial rehabilitation. Educational rehabilitation is “a part of religious rehabilitation where we are not only correcting but educating them with new knowledge.” Vocational rehabilitation focused on entrepreneurship. In the social and family rehabilitation practices, a new dimension was added during Hari Raya, where inmates were permitted hugs and to shake hands during Eid 2018. Hitherto personal contact – body to body – was permitted for well-behaved inmates.

Recreational rehabilitation focusing on sports for inmates is run by the prison department. The sports capability, including sports officers, engages inmates in a range of activities. Although there is no creative and performance arts component within Malaysian prisons, the prison department works along with other agencies – the Cultural and Art Department and NGOs – in implementing it. By linking with both governmental and non-governmental entities, the prisons depart...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Series
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Foreword
• Foreword
• List of contributors
• Introduction
• 1 Terrorist rehabilitation and community engagement in Southeast Asia
• 2 Cross-border terrorism in Malaysia: deradicalization strategies
• 3 Strategy in counterterrorism through implementation of Halal policy in Malaysia
• 4 Wasatiyyah approach to engage the issues of violence in Malaysia
• 5 Deradicalization strategy: the continuous effort of the government in countering radical groups in Malaysia
• 6 The ethics of Islamic entrepreneurship in preventing radicalism among Malaysian graduates
• 7 Rehabilitation journey: the Singapore experience
• 8 Dealing with terrorism in Indonesia: an attempt to deradicalize, disengage and reintegrate terror inmates with a social psychology approach
• 9 Youth radicalization and mitigation in Southern Philippines
• 10 Applying Wasatiyyah approach in de-radicalization programs
• Index