Malaysians who travel to Syria to fight with the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (Isis), are merely "caught up in the euphoria" of battle, according to a former Jemaah Islamiah militant.

Nasir Abas, who was a leader of the outlawed JI in Indonesia before his arrest in 2003, said this trend could be just a temporary phase involving the militants.

"Many Malaysians and Indonesians are going there (Syria) because of the spirit of the jihadist movement and they want the chance to experience the situation, train to handle guns and experience battle.

"They want the opportunity to go there, but this is not permanent," Nasir told Malaysiakini when met in Jakarta.

However, Nasir, a Malaysian who himself travelled to Afghanistan in the late 80s to train in warfare, and even trained Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) militants in the jungles of Mindanao, warned that Isis is "more dangerous than the Al-Qaeda", despite the many similarities between the two.

"What is happening in Syria is similar to what happened in Afghanistan in the 80s, where people come from everywhere to join Muslims in Afghanistan.

"But Isis is a takfir group, and its members even call other Muslims kafir (infidels)."

Malaysia must not lower its guard

Hence, Nasir said, the Malaysian government should not lower its guard.

"Although this is not permanent, the problem is, once there (in Syria) there is the potential for them to be influenced by others.

"And now, they already possess the knowledge, the expertise and they may find a way (to carry out jihadist acts in Malaysia). So they should be treated with suspicion," he said.

On the process of recruiting militants becoming easier and quicker with the social media, Nasir agreed, saying it would have taken months or years before this.

"The problem with the social media is that even though you are talking to one person, the message can be spread to many," he said.

Nasir was among several Malaysians militants who once led JI in Indonesia, including bomb makers Noordin Top and Dr Azahari Husin, both of whom were linked to the horrific 2005 Bali bombings and twin hotel blasts in 2009, among others.

Nasir now opposes radicalism and works with the Indonesian authorities to de-radicalise militants and spread the understanding of non-violence in Islam.

He was quick to point out that there are many definitions to jihad, and that it does not necessarily mean the need to kill others.

Nasir was speaking to senior international journalists in a session organised by Indonesia's Alliance of Independent Journalists and the US-based East West Center.

Despite public condemnation, even by fellow Muslims all over the world, against the violent acts of Isis, there are increasing reports of Malaysians travelling to Syria to fight alongside Isis.

In May, 26-year-old Mohd Tarmimi Maliki served as a suicide bomber, attacking Iraq's headquarters in Al-Anbar and blowing up 25 soldiers.

Implications on Malaysia

Earlier,  Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict director Sidney Jones said it has been clear from the social media that Malaysians and Indonesians have found each other in Syria, although she stressed that the numbers have been small.

“The question is, does the cooperation in Syria have any implications or possible cooperation in the region, if people return from Syria? We just don’t know the answer to that,” Jones said.

However, encouragingly, she added, there was very good cooperation between the Malaysian police force’s Special Branch and the Indonesian police on counter terrorism.

This has been highlighted by the Malaysians’ capture and almost immediate deportation of Indonesian terrorist convict Fadli Sadama after he escaped from prison in 2013.