REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) recruits followers from the closest families or relatives of existing members, the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) said.
"ISIS recruits from among their closest friends or even from members of their families because it relies on the trust factor," Director of De-radicalization Affairs of the BNPT, Irfan Idris, said during a discussion here on Thursday.
He added that it is easier to convince people to follow a certain faith when it is done by their closet family members, relatives, or friends.
"The possibility of influencing people you are closest with is higher, particularly in Indonesia where there are many religious faiths relegated to children from parents," he explained.
According to Idris, several members of the radical Islamist group had revealed that at the beginning, they were prompted to follow the ideology of the ISIS by their closest ones.
Other facts revealed that the dispatch of members of the ISIS was funded by one of their family members or by contributions from family funds.
Therefore, a member of the ISIS can easily recruit new ones because when a family is influenced, they continue to support the belief.
Moreover, he warned Indonesian families, and people in general, to remain careful with regard to any suspicious activities of their friends or relatives.
"All should exercise caution and not be easily influenced by offers of illogical promises," the BNPT official remarked.
Furthermore, Deputy Chairman of Commission I, which oversees foreign affairs, of the House of Representatives (DPR), Tubagus Hasanudin revealed that at least 514 Indonesians have joined ISIS.
"Based on information I have, as many as 514 Indonesian have joined ISIS, with four of them killed in combat," Hasanuddin stated here on Wednesday.
However, he could not give details on where the 514 Indonesians hailed from.
"What is certain is that they are all Indonesians," he affirmed.
Hasanuddin added that the commission would hold intensive discussions on the ISIS with the Foreign Affairs Ministry, the military and the National Intelligence Agency (BIN).
He noted that currently, the BIN and other related institutions, including religious leaders, need to prevent radicalization in the fight against ISIS.
"Our country has a vast territory, with many regions still free from radicalism. Therefore, I still believe radicalization can be prevented," he remarked.
Hasanuddin warned the government and its intelligence to closely observe school students to protect them from falling under the influence of ISIS.
Indonesia, the country with the world's largest Muslim population, is believed to be the main target of the ISIS for recruitment.
Currently, Indonesian and Turkish authorities are cooperating in the search for 16 Indonesians missing in Turkey.
They were part of a group of Indonesian tourists visiting Turkey before they separated and are believed to have joined ISIS.
They said they wanted to visit relatives there and promised to join the group before they returned to Indonesia. However, they did not show up on the date mentioned.
Furthermore, Turkish authorities reportedly arrested 16 Indonesians at the Suryan border, who, apparently, are not the 16 missing Indonesian tourists.
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