COMMENT | Terrorism: Keep watch on preachers and their ideologies

COMMENT | Terrorism continues to pose a persistent threat, with changes in leadership and potential disruptions to operations failing to eradicate the underlying ideology that motivates individuals to commit acts of terror.

This ideology serves as a catalyst for new recruits, including women, to engage in violent activities targeting innocent civilians.

The tactics employed by terrorists have evolved, shifting from coordinated and well-funded attacks like 9/11 to more individualised approaches where lone actors finance their operations.

Recent incidents, such as the Ulu Tiram police station attack, highlight this shift in strategy.

The relationship between terrorism and ideology is intricate, as acts of terrorism involve the use of illegal force by non-state actors to achieve various objectives through fear and intimidation.

The complexity of categorising terrorist attacks based on ideology, as individuals are driven by overlapping motivations to commit acts of violence.

These motivations include left-wing extremism, environmental extremism, right-wing extremism, religious extremism, nationalist/separatist extremism, and single-issue extremism.

Additionally, some attacks remain unclassified due to the lack of information regarding the identity and motives of the perpetrators.

Various influencing factors

Terrorism often emerges as a response to perceived injustices, whether real or perceived. Certain countries support movements for national liberation by engaging in acts of international terrorism.

Aside from ideology, various factors influence individuals' decisions to join terrorist groups.

According to the Peninsula, a leading English daily in Qatar, European terrorist groups in the 1970s and 1980s were motivated by Marxism, while groups in Asia and South America drew inspiration from Maoism.

Despite other influencing factors, it is crucial to acknowledge that ideology remains a significant contributing factor that should not be underestimated.

For instance, Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) is a terrorist group with ties to Malaysia. Founded in Indonesia, JI combines Darul Islam and Wahhabism beliefs. JI aims to create a pan-Islamic state called Daulah Islamiyah Nusantara, covering several countries in Southeast Asia.

Despite efforts to suppress its activities in Malaysia, JI continues to operate covertly in the country. Although JI has changed, it continues to adhere to its extremist ideology.

According to a report by the Jakarta Post, the Indonesian Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC) revealed that sixteen senior JI members declared the dissolution of the organisation on June 30.

The decision was taken by its leaders to redirect their efforts from terrorism to educational pursuits. They emphasised their loyalty to Indonesia, pledged to abide by the law, and assured that the teachings in JI-linked schools would conform to orthodox Islamic principles.

Despite being lauded as a significant achievement, I maintain a strong sense of doubt regarding JI's underlying reasons for disbanding.

The rationale put forth by the leaders, indicating a shift towards educational activities, is a matter that intelligence agencies in Asean must not disregard.

The madrasahs and publishing outlets operated by JI serve as crucial sources of income, aside from public donations, and also form a significant support base that could potentially breed terrorists capable of carrying out deadly attacks.

Moreover, JI has not explicitly stated that they are renouncing their fundamental ideology and objective of establishing an Islamic state across Southeast Asia.

READ MORE: KINIGUIDE | Ulu Tiram terror attack - Jemaah Islamiyah in Malaysia

Most importantly, the fact that only sixteen leaders have made this announcement raises questions about whether all JI members are bound by this decision, leaving room for disillusioned members to splinter off and perpetuate the organisation's core ideology in various parts of the region.

Leaders and organisations have become insignificant to terrorists today. Current and future terrorist attacks are driven solely by ideology, rather than being influenced by charismatic terrorist leaders or organisations.

The events in the Ulu Tiram and Movida Bar attacks serve as a clear reminder for Malaysia that despite the successful weakening and neutralisation of its leaders by the police, the core ideology remains intact.

Therefore, it is imperative for intelligence and enforcement agencies to continuously improve counter-terrorism measures.

In the meantime, the presence of both foreign and local hate preachers must be carefully managed. If these preachers pose a threat to national security, law enforcement agencies such as the police should take decisive action without political interference.

These preachers play a significant role in disseminating distorted religious beliefs, particularly to vulnerable young individuals who are easily influenced by their teachings.

Measures in UK

According to the United Kingdom’s official government website, measures are being taken to prevent dangerous hate preachers from spreading extremist views within the country.

A newly established task force will work to identify and block prominent extremists from entering the UK to safeguard the British public.

Hate preachers and extremists will be reported to the Home Office for immigration action, such as visa cancellation or refusal if they attempt to travel to the UK. Information will be collected through the embassy network and open-source intelligence.

Additionally, the government will collaborate with communities nationwide to identify potential threats from overseas extremists. UK-based organisations sponsoring visas for dangerous individuals may risk losing their sponsorship license.

This proactive approach aims to deny visas to individuals promoting extremism and prevent them from entering the UK.

Following the July 7, 2005, London bombings, commonly known as 7/7, the UK government has implemented stringent measures to address the threat posed by extremist ideologies.

Prior to these attacks, foreign hate preachers were able to enter the country without thorough screening.

However, post-7/7, these individuals have been recognised as significant influencers in radicalising locals and inciting them to commit acts of terrorism through the dissemination of distorted religious beliefs.

Malaysia could consider implementing similar measures to prevent foreign hate preachers with questionable backgrounds from entering the country and ensuring public safety.

In a nutshell, terrorists will continue to be unstoppable as long as their ideology remains unchallenged.

Combating a religiously-based false ideology is a complex task, particularly when it is bolstered by deeply misinterpreted teachings derived from distorted religious texts propagated by influential hate preachers.

Consequently, it is overbearing for all individuals, especially religious leaders, to collaborate with intelligence and law enforcement agencies in developing a robust counter-ideology capable of effectively dismantling this false ideology.

R PANEIR SELVAM is the principal consultant of Arunachala Research & Consultancy Sdn Bhd (ARRESCON), a think tank specialising in strategic national and geo-political matters.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.

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