The Indonesian Government announced last Monday, August 5, that it has banned support for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) and warned its citizens to not join the group.

The announcement was made after a closed-door meeting with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and other cabinet members in the State Palace.

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Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Politics, Law and Security Djoko Suyanto said on Monday  that "every effort to spread ISIS ideology must be prevented. There is no place for such ideology in Indonesia. Indonesia is not an Islamic state. We are a country that respects plurality of ethnicity, religion, and race."

"The government and the state reject and ban ISIS teachings from growing in Indonesia," Suyanto said.

Suyanto also said that the government has tasked the Ministry of Communications and Technology to enact measures to prevent the spread of ISIS' influence in social media, including the banning of YouTube videos that promote and endorse ISIS.

This comes after an eight-minute video was uploaded on YouTube titled "Join the Ranks" wherein Muhamad
 al-Indonesi is encouraging Indonesian Muslims to join ISIS.

Indonesia's National Police Chief, Gen. Sutarman, said that al-Indonesi is a fugitive that "has been on the run for more than a year." He added that al-Indonesi is linked to Indonesia's most wanted terrorist, Santoso.

Moreover, Minister Suyanto said that another measure that would be enacted to prevent the spread of the group's influence is to raise the awareness of the dangers of joining ISIS. This will be spearheaded by the Ministry of Religious Affairs.   

The possibility of revoking the Indonesian citizenship of those who are proven to have joined ISIS is also being considered, said Justice Minister Amir Syamsuddin.

It is believed that as many as 56 Indonesians have already left the country to become part of ISIS to fight in Syria and Iraq. So far three of them have been killed, according to Gen. Sutarman. 

Several leaders from Indonesia's religious groups and organizations including the Ahlul Bait Association, Nahdlatul Ulama and Muhammadiyah have also denounced and condemned ISIS.

TagsIndonesia, ISIS, jihad, indonesian government