Malaysia, Indonesia Fear ISIS Infiltration In Southeast Asia
Bianca Ortega | | Aug 22, 2014 07:56 AM EDT |
(Photo : Reuters / Yaser Al-Khodor) Fighters under the ISIS flag parade in Tel Abyad, Syria, near the Turkish border, Jan. 2, 2014.
With the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) continuing to unleash its terror, officials in Southeast Asia are growing more concerned that the threat of violence has infiltrated Indonesia and Malaysia.
The jihadi group laid out its 5-year plan to conquer the world and establish an Islamic state in the Middle East, Western Asia and North Africa, according to The Gospel Herald.
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Yesterday, the officials' fears increased as Malaysia's anti-terrorism unit arrested seven suspected ISIS supporters who bought bomb-making materials for a terror attack on a Carlsberg brewery. The official said they caught the plot at its "discussion" phase.
The foiled attack marks the first time that militants supporting the ISIS attempted to stage a major terror attack in the region, the official added.
Sooyoung Kim from the International Christian Concern (ICC) said ISIS established its influence in Malaysia and Indonesia last year. It was only in recent months that many of Southeast Asian citizens expressed their support for the militant group.
Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jafar, Malaysia's Deputy Home Minister, told Reuters that there are some Malaysians communicating with ISIS who were recently motivated to join the movement. He revealed that they arrested a lot of militants in Malaysia of late.
Earlier this year, a thousand ISIS sympathizers held a "mass initiation" in Solo Baru, Indonesia. The ceremony caused 20 Malaysians and around 500 Indonesians to join the fighting in Syria and Iraq, security officials said.
Although the Indonesian radicals have not yet carried out violent activities similar to what the ISIS does in Iraq and Syria, their movement could escalate to that level, according to National Police spokesman Boy Rafli Amar.
Authorities need to implement "serious measures" to prevent ISIS supporters from performing terrorist activities, Amar explained.
Meanwhile, Kim said ISIS is able to recruit members openly and spread its propaganda materials because Indonesia does not have rules that prevent people from funding or participating in jihads.
After the incident yesterday, officials in Southeast Asia began a closer monitoring of ISIS movement in the region. They also banned the militant group's ideology.
Indonesia has an 88 percent per capita Muslim population, the highest in the world. Malaysia's Muslim population stands at 64.5 percent.
TagsIslamic State in Iraq and Syria, ISIS, southeast asia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Western Asia, North Africa, The Gospel Herald, Carlsberg, International Christian Concern, Sooyoung Kim, Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jafar, Reuters, Solo Baru, Iraq, Boy Rafli Amar
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