TEMPO.CO, Madiun – Ali Fauzi, a former jihadist who joined the jihad wars in Afghanistan, Moro and Ambon, said East Java was a crucial swathe for terrorism in the country. He explained some terrorists and suspected terrorists hailed from the province, among them Faturrahman Al-Ghozi from Madiun regency, who was shot to death in the Philippines several years ago.
“The track records of East Java as the hotbed of terrorism cannot be overlooked,” he said on the sidelines of the Declaration and Information Dissemination of East Java Governor’s Regulation No. 51/2014 on the Prohibition on the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The event took place at the Madiun Hajj House in Madiun regency, East Java on Thursday, September 4, 2014.
Another indicator classifying East Java as “dangerous”, Fauzi went on, was the departure of a number of East Java residents to the Mideast to join ISIS in July.
“It takes more than the police and the Armed Forces to prevent the spread of ISIS ideology in East Java,” the terrorism expert said.
Zaenal Muhtadien, the province’s chief of national unity and politics, said pro-active actions from the province, regency and municipality administrations were necessary to appeal to the people to join the collective endeavors to combat terrorism.
Zaenal said the authorities would need to outline in detail the suspected hideouts of ISIS supporters in East Java, among them Lamongan, Magetan, Sidoarjo and Malang. “We need to improve our vigilance,” he said.
NOFIKA DIAN NUGROHO
