Indonesian Islamic State Movement Upping Recruitment Effort

Posted on Apr 19, 2011

The Indonesian Islamic State Movement is increasing their recruitment effort by targeting students from well known university such as Malang Muhammadiyah University (UMM) and Brawijaya University (Unibraw) in Malang. Similar recruitment process at other well known university such as Indonesian University (UI) and Airlangga University (Unair) was also reported but so far no victims has been found.

List of known victims in the cases of alleged brainwashing by the Indonesian Islamic State movement against students in Malang so far has grown to 15 people whom 13 students are from UMM and 2 others are from Unibraw.

This information is revealed by UMM Head of Public Relations Nasrullah during a press conference held at the UMM Building on Tuesday (04/19/2011). “There were nine students who had recently been recruited and brainwashed. Amongst them, some are already taken to Jakarta to be inaugurated and sworn in and some that are not yet (in that stage)” he said.

Mahatir Rizki is still missing

According to Nasrallah, students who had confessed that they were brainwashed in 2011 are Maya Mazesta, Agung Arief Perdana Putra, Mahathir Rizki (who is still missing), Fitri Zakiyah, M Hanif Ramdhani, Wahyu Darmawan, Reviana Efendi, Reza Yuniansyah Nur Ilmi, and M Recky Kurniawan.

This recruitment method has actually been ongoing since 2008. There were four victims in 2008, with three of them already overcome their indoctrination period. “This means that proper rehabilitation has been done. However, one student does not want to admit and was finally expelled from UMM. So, the total indoctrination victims from UMM were 13 people,” he said, without revealing the identities of the previous victims.

The two other victims from Unibraw is Desy, student class of 2010 with Psychology major and Ezra, student class of 2010. When about to be confirmed on the case of two students, the Unibraw dean, Prof. Yogi Sugito could not be contacted.

According to Nasrallah, the current seven victims are being quarantined for the rehabilitation process to make their train of thoughts back to normal. “During their recruitment, those nine students were indoctrinated on the understanding that I think are very misguided. For example, there were in discussions that mention that the citizens of Republic of Indonesia are infidels. And that if you want Islam, you should join the Islamic State, not the Republic of Indonesia,” he said.

Nasrallah added, though disguised as a recruitment process, the movement also persuaded the victims to deposit money as zakat or alms to the movement.

A victim can spend money USD 2,500 to USD 3,000. The victims were usually students recruited by his friends, fellow members from the movement which is called mentoring which will be responsible for the student at the beginning of the study.
The perpetrator of the brainwashing was allegedly another student named Veriansyah Dhani alias Dadi alias Fery, who admitted studying as a student of STIKOM Yogyakarta, M Muhayyin from Lampung, and Najib, who claimed to be a student from Bandung.

The abduction and brainwashing case was uncovered in March 2011 after the family of Mahatir Rizki was looking for him because there was no news whatsoever from him. The family then reported the case to the Police. Riski ate the moment is the only student that still missing.

“Since then, UMM began investigating the case, and eventually uncovered (the plot). At that time we also coordinate with the police and intelligence,” he said.

UMM has now formed a team to find the real culprit. “However, until now they have not been discovered. The case is not only the UMM, but also at various universities in East Java in Indonesia” he said.