Colleague of Bali bombers changed his ways while in Indonesian jail

Nasir Abas, a former jihadist and military leader, has now written six books on terrorism, became a public speaker at universities, a preacher inside prison cells and a mentor to former detainees.

An experience in jail helped Nasir Abas turn around his belief system. Haneen Al Dajani / The National

JAKARTA // Nasir Abas, a former jihadist and military leader, is now a peacemaker who fights radicalism in many ways.

Since he was released from prison in February 2004, the 46-year-old Malaysian has written six books on terrorism, became a public speaker at universities, a preacher inside prison cells and a mentor to former detainees.

He was a jihadist for 16 years before he faced a turning point in jail.

His jihad journey started in 1987 when he joined the Islamic State of Indonesia group. He was only 18 when he was sent to fight the Soviets in Afghanistan.

“When someone offered me a chance to go to Afghanistan, it was a chance to have an experience, to know how jihadists look and how to be one,” he said.

After three years of military training, he became a weaponry instructor at a camp there.

In 1994, he set up a military camp in the heart of the Mindanao jungle in the Philippines, to support the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, who fought the Philippines Armed Forces in a bid to establish a separate Islamic state.

“My superior sent me there to support them and strengthen their military knowledge,” Mr Abas said.

There he trained members of Al Jama’a Al Islamiya (JI), a new group at the time that had split from the original Islamic State of Indonesia group and one that would go on to commit atrocities including the 2002 Bali bombing.

“We did not kill civilians but anytime the army attacks the groups, we carried a battle against them,” Mr Abas said.

From 1998 to 2002, he smuggled Indonesian and Malaysian fighters between the two countries, spending his time between the camp and at home in Malaysia. “I would go back to live like ordinary people. I sold goods, I had a small stall in the market to sell vegetables.”

A “turning point” for JI occurred when Osama bin Laden issued a fatwa in 1999 to carry out attacks against American airlines carrying civilians.

Mr Abas and some JI members were against such attacks and tried talking their colleagues out of it, however, they could not report them to police because they considered the authorities as their “kafir”, or enemy.

“Some of my colleagues participated in the operations to kill civilians, and later on the big Bali bomb in October 2002,” he said.

Police arrests begun after the Bali bombing and, as Mr Abas was visiting a friend in Jakarta on April 18, 2003, he was arrested too.

“Because I was not involved in any terrorist act and my hands were clean from killing civilians, they couldn’t charge me with terrorism.”

Instead, he was sentenced to 11 months for living illegally in Indonesia.

During his sentence, police begun deradicalisation efforts with him.

“At that time it was not a programme, only police practicing the good cop, bad cop.

“Good cop tries to use the soft approach, and that was the turning point ... when I observed how they tried to talk in a wise way.

“Maybe at that time Allah wanted to open my eyes. When I saw the cops that were guarding me ask the commander for permission to pray, I thought, ‘how did we perceive the police as kafir just because they are from the government, when they are eager to pray on time?’”

Mr Abas soon realised that he had to make up for his colleagues’ crimes.

“My friends who did the bombing in Bali did a cruel thing, so when God gives them a punishment he also gives it to people who have connection with them.

“Some of them are my former students, so maybe they used some of my knowledge to set up the bomb.”

So he started cooperating with police and also got permission to offer guidance to other detainees.

After his release he continued to work on deradicalisation programmes with police and other organisations.

“We want to stop the crimes and at least to minimise - I want to be the peacemaker in Indonesia.”