Combating terrorism through community engagement: Experiences from Malaysia and Indonesia

Abstract

Malaysia has confronted eminent forms of insurgency and terrorism threat since the 1940s, starting from the Malayan Communist Party until 1989. Malaysia has been a significant source of foreign fighters in Iraq and Syria, relative to the size of its population, producing six times the proportion of the number coming from Indonesia. Many Malaysians joined factions such as Ajnad al-Sham and Jabhat al-Nusra. Terrorist acts have occurred in Indonesia, from the Bali bombings in 2002 until the Surabaya bombings in May 2018. The Surabaya bombings shows that the Indonesian people are not yet safe from terrorist activities. The Indonesian government, from the centre to the regions, has taken a very serious stance in dealing with terrorism not least because the first Bali bombing greatly affected the Indonesian economy, reducing the number of tourists to Indonesia, particularly to Bali. Combating terrorism is not a simple task.

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