Dāʿish in Malaysia: A Case Study

Abstract

The aim of this study is to discover Dā‘ish movement in Malaysia which is considered as a threat to society and the country to identify its networks and links with the global terrorist movement, and also the way they are involved in this terrorist activity. It is conducted based on government reports and in-depth interviews with 30 detainees at Sungai Buloh Prison, Malaysia, to hear directly from them on their backgrounds and affiliations and the reasons which led them to embrace this movement, and to trace the pinnacle of their terrorist ideas. This terrorist movement is considered as a threat to the country and society and the number of detainees associated with the terrorist activity is increasing year by year. The result of the study is that not all the detainees belonged to the movement of "dā'ish" alone, but part of them belonged to other groups, and that not all the detainees belonged to the Jihādī Salafī ideology, but part of them joined the jihād in Syria for helping the Syrian people against Assad regime. The most important point is that most of them are not from religious backgrounds but in their perception they are better than others in understanding religion. Study shows that moderate scholars has crucial role in guiding Muslim youth to convey them the true meaning of religion and to guide them to the right path and understanding.