Terrorism has become the systematic weapon of a war that knows no borders and seldom has a face.
—Jacques Chirac, ex-French President
Mohammed Nazir Lep and Mohd Farik Amin are not household names in Malaysia or elsewhere.
If the duo had thought that by partaking in terrorism and killing or maiming the innocent, they would become famous and gather thousands of followers to their radical ideologies, then they were sadly mistaken.
Even for me, a media person, their names are unfamiliar. Islamic radicals committing acts of terrorism are no longer a rare breed. There are too many of them around, and we do not wish to remember them nor care what happen to them.
Honest, we wish they died together with all their innocent victims, like their brothers-in-arms, the suicide bombers. At times, I also wonder whether any of these radicals have received feedback from their suicide brothers up there!
Nazir and Farik, two Malaysians detained over terrorism-related charges in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, were believed to be involved with Indonesian Encep Nurjaman, who is more commonly known as Hambali, in two terrorism attacks in Indonesia.
Hambali was once Indonesia’s most wanted man and he was also known as an expert bomb maker.
All three suspects, who were referred to as “alien unprivileged enemy belligerents” more than a dozen times in the affidavits during a court trial in 2021, face eight charges including seven related to twin bombings that killed 202 people in Bali in October 2002 – Indonesia’s deadliest terror attack to date – and a bombing at the JW Marriott hotel in Jakarta in August 2003.
The eight charges are conspiracy, murder, attempted murder, intentionally causing serious bodily injury, terrorism, attacking civilians, attacking civilian objects, and destruction of property.
The two notorious Malaysians in Guantanamo were in the news on Oct 1 after Home Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution Ismail revealed that the government has yet to decide on whether they will be kept under custody upon their repatriation.
Saifuddin, who reportedly met the US special representative for Guantanamo affairs Tina Kaidanow during his recent official visit to New York, said the government is still in initial discussions to seek the release of Nazir and Farik.
“We have yet to reach that stage,” Saifuddin told reporters when asked if the duo would be detained without trial under the Security Offences (Special Measures) Act 2012.
Interestingly, the minister declined comments on criticisms of government efforts to repatriate alleged terrorists. He is probably aware that Malaysians, by and large, are not in favour of bringing such people home.
Here are some readers who commented in a national news portal against repatriating Nazir and Farik:
“Why do we have a minister who is wasting Malaysian money on this kind of useless waste? Should let Indonesia repatriate them and let them stand trial in Indonesia?”
“Saifuddin, the Madani government should free the Sosma detainees who had committed no violent crime at all. Why bother to bring back the two violent men to Malaysia? If they were involved in bombings in another country, they should be tried and sentenced there. Why are you importing problems here? You have neither the knowledge, training nor the competence to deal with these sorts of hardcore terrorists. Stop wasting people’s money on these criminals.”
“Why bring them back? US considers them as terrorists. We don’t want them in Malaysia.”
“Please don’t bring back such dangerous and toxic rubbish back to Malaysia.”
I agree with all of them and I must add, “Don’t bring the two Malaysian terrorists home.”
While I sincerely believe that rehabilitated criminals should be given second chances, I am not prepared to give known terrorists the same opportunity.
In the case of those involved in terrorism, concerns about national security often take precedence. Governments may argue that keeping such individuals incarcerated is necessary to prevent further terrorist acts.
Critics argue that rehabilitation for certain individuals, especially those with extremist ideologies, may be unlikely or insufficient.
Most Malaysians are probably unaware whether there is any rehabilitation programmes for those involved in acts of terrorism.
Then, there may be skepticism too about whether terrorists can truly change their beliefs and actions. This is a valid concern indeed.
How many Malaysians are still involved in acts of terrorism overseas? I hope Bukit Aman will update Malaysians on that score.
A few years ago, we learned that a group of 13 Malaysians who left to join the terrorist group Islamic State (IS) to fight in Syria are now itching to return home.
The 13 are caught in the all-out offensive by the United States-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) against IS fighters in eastern Syria and some have contacted their families pleading to return home.
Al-Jazeera reported that Malaysian police were working with the Syrian authorities to bring them back home.
To Bukit Aman, I believe Malaysians deserve to be updated on the latest state of terrorism involving our citizens abroad.
The views expressed here are those of the columnist and do not necessarily represent the views of New Sarawak Tribune.
