Jemaah Islamiyah’s disbanding process could be model for Southeast Asia, says ex-leader

JAKARTA: A former leader of the now-disbanded terror group Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) said its recent dissolution could be a model for deradicalisation efforts in Southeast Asia.
Speaking to international media for the first time last week since JI disbanded three months ago, former leader Para Wijayanto, who is currently in prison, said: “Hopefully, the government’s efforts to overcome the JI problem can become a model both in Indonesia and abroad.
“This is because of JI’s extraordinary empirical experience. JI is not a small organisation, but it could be disbanded.”
However, he noted that there have to be modifications according to each region and country.
The 60-year-old was the longest-serving chief of the group behind some of Southeast Asia’s deadliest terror attacks, including the 2002 Bali bombings that killed over 200 people.
He led the group – formed in 1993 and allegedly affiliated with militant organisation Al-Qaeda – for 11 years, before he was arrested in 2019.
JI was designated a banned organisation by the Jakarta District Court in 2008 with Wijayanto at the helm after several terror attacks by individuals acting on behalf of the group.
Wijayanto was one of the key JI figures behind the recent dissolution of the organisation, which was announced on Jun 30.
Wijayanto and Muhammad Khoirul Anam, another JI leader who was instrumental in the break-up of the group, were brought out of prison by the national police counter-terrorism squad to be interviewed by the media in a hotel in Central Jakarta on Sep 23.
Wijayanto was candid in admitting that JI had wrongly followed the teachings of Al-Qaeda, which espouses extremism and considers governments as infidels.
He has engaged former members of the group via online calls from prison, explaining why they should stand down. Former senior JI figures are ready to go one step further to engage with other radical groups in Indonesia, he added. 
“Like sick people, we have been sick and can recover. This experience should be shared. We can share the healing process. There is a story to be told,” he said. 
Wijayanto explained that the decision to disband was based on knowledge and a deeper understanding of Islamic teachings, and supported by arguments laid out in a 400-page document.
Such information changed their perspectives and can be learned by people outside the JI network, he added.
“We are ready to help with therapy,” he said.
Meanwhile, Khoirul was the former military commander of JI responsible for training members before sending them to conflict areas such as Syria.
According to the 50-year-old, there are currently nine JI members in Syria who have joined Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a militant group allegedly affiliated to Al-Qaeda.
The group has been relaying the information on JI being dismantled to Syria, said Khoirul.
“They (JI members in Syria) are slowly understanding the issue of disbanding JI itself. We really hope that the government can help bring them back to Indonesia,” he said. 
Khoirul said good communication between JI leaders and the Indonesian authorities has been crucial to the disbandment process.
Former JI leaders have held more than 30 “socialisation” sessions across Indonesia, which have been attended by thousands of the group’s former grassroots members.
These sessions are part of a nationwide outreach programme, aimed at ensuring they do not regroup or join existing splinter groups.
While noting that the soft approach taken by law enforcement officials has earned them goodwill, Dr Muhammad Syauqillah, who is head of Indonesia University’s Terrorism Studies Programme, said there must be a roadmap for handling what is left of JI. 
“The state cannot take this for granted (and) immediately accept it (the dissolution), and not do anything. They (JI members) have to be given attention,” he said. 
National police counter-terrorism squad Special Detachment 88 said JI’s dissolution may not reduce the overall threat of terrorism and stressed the need for constant vigilance.
Its spokesperson Aswin Siregar said it will “continue to carry out our duties as usual”.
“(These include) monitoring, assessments, control, evaluation, and becoming friends (with ex-JI members) to discuss with them about how or what other programmes they will carry out next so that they do not return to their old ideology,” he added.