By: Dwi Anggina) *
The government firmly refused to repatriate ISIS ex-Indonesian citizens to the country. Their return is feared to be a new terrorist that endangers the lives of 267 million Indonesians.
In the last few weeks, the return of ISIS, a former Indonesian citizen, has become a lot of media coverage. The return of former ISIS combatants will be a major problem for peace in Indonesia. Moreover, they have also erased their identity as Indonesian citizens by burning passports and taking allegiance to other countries.
Coordinating Minister for Politics and Security Mahfud MD explained the decision not to repatriate the former ISIS combatant because the government wanted to provide security to 267 million Indonesians in the country from the threat of acts of terrorism. At least around 689 cross-border terrorists from Indonesia are in a number of countries. The government still records the background and role of the terrorists.
The decision to refuse to return the former ISIS to Indonesia received appreciation from various parties. There are at least three government decisions that are currently appreciated by various elements of society and the political elite. First, the government has taken the decision to protect more people than 600 people. Secondly, the government has succeeded in reducing the concerns of many people in Indonesia regarding the emergence of discourse about repatriating Ex ISIS from Indonesia. Finally, there is indeed no urgency for the government to repatriate Ex ISIS from Indonesia because they are not Indonesian citizens. Moreover, they have committed crimes outside the limits of humanity.
PBNU Chairperson KH Said Aqil Siroj quoted Al-Qur’an Surat al-Ahzab verse 60, that the Prophet was ordered by Allah SWT to drive out people who caused a commotion in the city of Medina. Therefore, the policy not to repatriate ex-ISIS citizens is appropriate and needs to be appreciated by all elements of society. Because, they come there of their own volition. In fact, they consider Indonesia as a taghout country.
The government’s firm stand against the return of ex-ISIS citizens needs to be appreciated by the whole community. With all security considerations, the government is able to present policies that ensure the security of every Indonesian citizen, one of which is the potential for the development of a radicalism virus from former ISIS citizens.
) * The author is a public policy observer