The threat of terrorism: a case study of ISIS ideology in Malaysia (2014 – 2019)

This research paper discusses the renowned radical Islamic group known as the Islamic State (IS) that is centered in Syria and Iraq, or the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). They have now become a global terror network, and it has become stronger ever since the group managed to garner close ties among other members around the world, especially in the Southeast Asia region. Consequently, this has led to the perception that the region is now the center for terrorism and potentially poses a threat to the world. As ISIS goes globally, Malaysia is not spared from experiencing threat from the militant group. Till September 2019, at least 102 Malaysians are known to have left the country to live in ISIS territory. Thus, the purpose of this study is to examine the factors that may have contributed to the reasons of the rising involvement of the Malaysian in ISIS. The study‟s findings found that the vulnerable Malaysian tend to be attracted to the ISIS affiliated group due to its ideology, identity crisis problem, and several personal internal factors. The results indicated that despite the small number of Malaysians who were involved with the terrorist group, (and was actually fewer compared to the other Southeast Asian countries), the Malaysian level of commitment was high and the bond that they had inevitably forged was strong and difficult to break. This situation poses threat to the national security and the multi-cultural community in Malaysia. During the study, in-depth, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the field expertise. These data were then analyzed qualitatively. The study concluded that ISIS is a dangerous religious militancy that should be monitored by the Malaysian authority in order to control its impact to the nation.