A pro-ISIS rally in Jakarta in 2014.
With Indonesia having the largest Muslim population in the world, it’s no surprise that the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) have been looking into our shores for potential recruits (including a newborn baby).
But one ex-ISIS member from Indonesia, who goes by the pseudonym Joko, said his time with the militant group was not all cracked up as many thought it would be. In fact, he recalls being absolutely miserable while he was part of the militant group in Syria.
Speaking to Detik at an anti-radicalism discussion in Tasikmalaya, West Java yesterday, Joko told the story of how circumstances led to him joining ISIS and how he eventually escaped the dreadful conditions there.
It all began when Joko experienced financial troubles after his business in West Java didn’t take off. He then went to Jakarta to seek a loan from his cousin. His cousin agreed, but he made Joko attend Islamic discussions in order to score the loan.
Eventually, Joko’s cousin told him that business prospects in Indonesia were bleak and that he should move to Syria for a better life. Joko agreed.
“I was afraid to remain in Indonesia, because [my cousin] said this is a country of infidels, so I had to move,” Joko said.
Joko and his cousin departed to Turkey on February 22, 2015. After spending two nights in Istanbul, they jumped the Turkish border into Syria and joined up with ISIS.
Joko, along with recruits from all over the world, went from town to town receiving physical and weapons training for a few months, as well as being indoctrinated with the group’s ideals. Over time, he realized that he was misled into joining a group that doesn’t represent Islam at all.
“It turned out that in Syria, it wasn’t about religion, but it was a business veiled [with religion],” Joko said.
“All the promises that were made [about joining ISIS] when I was in Jakarta were lies. [Life there] turned out to be more horrible, more miserable.”
Joko then tried to escape, but he was caught and then put in confinement for a month. Upon his release, he attempted to escape again, and thankfully managed to cross the border into Turkey one evening and eventually made his way back to Indonesia.
Speaking from his experience, Joko hopes that Indonesians thinking of joining ISIS would reconsider their decision. He’s also advising ISIS sympathizers to speak with ustadz and ulemas who preach Islam in its true form, since ISIS certainly do not.
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