Study from Jakarta-based think tank says while the number of Indonesians turning to extremism is ‘tiny’ , community must do more to support isolated individuals in the city
A security think tank has claimed that about 45 Indonesian domestic workers have been radicalised and linked with Islamic State while living in Hong Kong.
While leaders from the 153,000-strong Indonesian community in Hong Kong and local Muslim representatives said they had not seen cases of radicalisation in the city, they urged authorities to look at the root of the problem, which they believe may be related to isolation and exploitation that many domestic helpers experience in Hong Kong .
The study was published on Wednesday by the Jakarta-based Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict, which has produced several reports on conflicts in Southeast Asia, and concluded that the search for a sense of community in an unfamiliar environment, a rise in religious outreach and personal troubles have drawn local domestic helpers towards supporting the extremist Islamic State. The report states that given the size of the Indonesian community in the city, the comparative number of domestic helpers who turned to extremism was “tiny”.
Strengthen protection for domestic helpers
“Some of these women were drawn in by jihadi boyfriends they met online, ” said Nava Nuraniyah, an analyst with the institute. “But some joined ISIS as a path to empowerment.”
The think tank said it identified at least 50 female radical workers in East Asia taking part in a variety of extremist discussion groups. It said the total number may be higher, but probably less than 100. Of these women, 43 have worked or are currently working in Hong Kong, three in Taiwan, and four in Singapore.
The report tells in detail the story of three women in Hong Kong who competed to get recognition from Islamic State figures in Indonesia and Syria, through providing funds and arranging emigration to Syria via Hong Kong for Indonesian jihadis. A handful of domestic helpers based in the city also went to Syria by themselves, the study showed.
Eni Lestari, chairperson of the International Migrants Alliance, said: “Although the so-called radicalisation is a rumour in the community over the past two or three years, I have not witnessed that.
