The journey to arrive and join in becoming a part of Daulah Islamiyah (ISIS) is not enough just a unanimous intention, but it requires physical and mental resilience. In particular, it takes a steel-like inner endurance, to withstand disappointment when life hopes on “God’s Earth”, which are found precisely in a region that is at war, where its people live in fear, intimidation, misery, limited clean water, electricity, food, shelter, sexual harassment of women and girls and unrelenting crime.
Febri Ramdani, the writer as well as the main character in this book, also very nicely illustrates the struggle of his entire family to return to their homeland. They have to spend tens of thousands of US dollars, proceeds from selling all their property in Indonesia, to be able to return to their homeland.
Even though it looks very thick at 291 pages, the book titled “300 Days on Earth Sham: A Journey of a Former Follower of ISIS”, was written in a very light novel style, so it doesn’t take readers like me to finish all parts of the book in time. not long. Febri’s natural ability to record well every life journey he sought his family who had already left Indonesia to move to Syria. Unlike the 26 groups, including his family who have high hopes for ISIS to solve their pragmatic health and financial problems, Febri has no ideological motivation to join ISIS. When his life was alone and there was no longer a family to take shelter in Indonesia, Om Bow, a trusted man, Pak Hidayat, Febri’s husband’s husband, facilitated him to go after his family.
Part of it was quite impressive and a new experience for me was the journey from Turkey to the City of Raqqa, which is the heart of ISIS’s power. Febri along with “muhajir” from various countries such as Germany, Iraq, Arab, Turkey, and others, who were fortunate to survive Syrian security monitoring, were facilitated by ISIS couriers to get through Syria, before reaching ISIS territory. According to Febri, these hope seekers had to go through rough terrain for hours, passing through the hills with various limitations. Including the threat of falling into the hands of ISIS enemies, one of whom is Jabhat Al-Nusra (JN), is the militia group and Al Qaeda branch who are fighting in Syria against President Bashar Assad, but prefers not to join ISIS.
Despite struggling with illness, heavy terrain and limited facilities, Febri remained determined to find his family. Unlike many men who once entered ISIS territory, they were immediately asked to join military service and attend religious classes. Febri, benefited from her poor health condition and the desire to meet with her family so that she gets dispensation. With various family efforts, Febri finally was not returned to camp to attend military service and religious education.
Meeting with a family that has left him for 1.5 years is a touching moment in this book, I’m a little bit of this section: “In the dwelling, I saw Mother and Brother who had not seen each other in almost 1.5 years. My chest returned to see them. The longing that rumbled in my heart. I who tried to hold back so that I didn’t shed tears finally broke out after hugging Mother and Brother.
This was a touching moment in my life. The fight that used to occur between me and my sister so we didn’t talk was forgotten … ” It was this compactness factor in the Febri family that made them finally be able to leave the City of Raqqah, ransoming thousands of dollars and being deceived several times by smugglers. The money is the result of selling all family property before leaving Indonesia. The point is to get out of the city of Raqqah that has been destroyed by war is not easy.
Moreover, the stamp of ISIS supporters made the process of escape, hampered by endless interrogation procedures, both from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which operated near the border, until the hands of the Indonesian government. All stages of the interrogation were to verify that everyone returned to Indonesia had a clear history of involvement with ISIS. Febri is also quite fair in portraying the role of the Indonesian government in the rescue mission of him and his seven family members, to the homeland that applies humanitarian principles, human rights, and a soft approach to make everyone comfortable and cooperative in following the Pre-departure assessment procedures conducted by layer by layer. The data collection was detailed, and it was possible to not only see the extent of Febri’s and her family’s involvement in the ISIS network but also to identify “who should be responsible”.
The rehabilitation and reintegration process as soon as it reaches the country is under the coordination of the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT), also carried out quite systematically, before returning to the community. Even the Indonesian government also provides initial support in the form of housing facilities, entrepreneurial skills and a little capital, so that the Febri family can immediately start their new life. Although finally the BNPT had to determine two members of the Febri family to undergo legal proceedings because they were considered the most responsible.
I am very happy that the writer also explores the experiences of women and girls in the ISIS territory because they are not required to fight. So that his life experience is different. For example, hisbah (police) could have arrested women who did not use ISIS syar’i clothing standards, namely black robes, black veils and black veils. Also not infrequently encouragement and a little sneer “not jihad” for single women.
Although more needs to be seen how women who disagree with ISIS negotiate and resist every second to survive, but still with their stand. From reading this book, I can draw some lessons, namely; First, there is no single motive in every case of Indonesian citizens going to Syriah to join ISIS. Therefore the response to them must not be uniform, have data-based disaggregated, will lead to more accurate and effective interventions; secondly, the family bonding factor does not affect the person’s desire to depart the least. But this familial factor also influences the decision to dis-engagement with the problem.
Without family love and love, Febri will not survive military service and return to his homeland, although it is the family ties that brought Febri to Syria. Third, think critically to ask between the beauty of propaganda and the reality of life in the City of Raqqah where ISIS is in power should be done from the start with the sophistication of the internet. This will be useful for investigators who have pragmatic interests rather than ideological because they see a picture that is so complicated to enter and exit ISIS territory.
The challenge going forward is precisely in the wider community, about the readiness to accept people with categories such as Febri and his family to carve out their new lives, have a second hope when returning to their homeland. They have the right to love Indonesia again.
