Dangers of Repatriating IS Affiliates

The wave of public opposition to the repatriation of Indonesian Islamic State (IS) Iraq and Syria has been strong. The government has decided not to repatriate IS combatants for the security of the people in the country

KOMPAS/RADITYA HELABUMI

An activist holds a poster that reads, “We support Jokowi, reject ISIS”, during a demonstration on Monday (10/2/2020) at Pandang Istana Park, on the northwest corner of Medan Merdeka in Central Jakarta. The event objected to the planned repatriation of almost 700 Indonesians who had joined the militia of Islamic State (IS), and called on the government to take the best policy to protect its citizens at home, saying that radicalism had no place in the country.

The public opposition shows that Indonesian people are fed up with the violence of radical groups, which use religion as justification. The community still remembers the church bombing in Samarinda that injured a 3-year-old toddler, Trinity Hutahean, as well as Alvaro Aurelius Tristan Sinaga and Anita Kristobel. Innocent toddlers that until now must bear the pain and physical injury due to the actions of supporters of the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria.

The community also remembers the cruel actions of the IS group when they massacred five police officers in the Mobile Brigade Headquarters. The video of the attack shows how barbaric their deeds were. Bomb victims are also still suffering today and must take medication throughout their lives to relieve the pain they still feel.