For Life

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Ali Fauzi Now helps others turn their back on extremism and intolerance

"I'm an expert bomb-maker. I can make bombs in just Five Minutes . "

Ali Fauzi was a key member of Jemaah Islamiyah , a militant group with links to al-Qaeda, which was responsible for Indonesia , the worst attack - the Bali bombing in 2002 That killed More Than 200 people.

"My Brothers carried out the Bali bombing. It is a huge bomb in The Heart of The Island was the tourist part of the city. "

The Group went on to conduct a string of bombings in Indonesia . They were deadly attacks on major hotels and Western embassies. The seemingly sleepy village of Tenggulun in Lamongan, East Java , was The Group 's base camp.

Now , Ali Fauzi mission is very different. He works in Asia to help former jihadists to leave A Life of violence and to stop new recruits from joining The Next wave of militant groups in the South-East.

"The reality is That it is much easier to recruit people to terrorist groups," he says.

"you have only to pull a trigger, and many people you will connect, but The Process of deradicalisation will take time. It has to be done one step. "

And his new mission has come at a high personal cost.

"The threats against me are not intensive, it is only verbal attacks, but threatened with death. But, honestly, I'm afraid, because I know what I'm doing is right. I Am willing and ready to die to do this. "

It was saw videos of foreign Wars - in Afghanistan, Bosnia and the Palestinian territories, to mobile phones from your quiet Javanese village - the Ali Fauzi motivated and his brothers to join militant groups.

"We saw videos of the brutal attacks on civilians. I wanted to conduct jihad to protect the Muslim people from the tyrant. With young, Hot Blood , I wanted to fight back. "

While his brothers went to fight the mujahideen in Afghanistan, Ali Fauzi stayed closer to home, joining Islamic militants fighting for a Muslim homeland in the southern Philippines.

"I really wanted to die there. I imagined My Own death all The Time ," he says.

"I believed That if I was killed in the fight, I would directly go to heaven and be met there by angels. This is what told our mentors to us, Every Day . "

The 2002 bombings That killed 202 people

When his brothers returned from Afghanistan, you put into practice what They had learned abroad.

In October 2002, you were part of a group That detonated two bombs targeting night clubs in the Kuta area of Bali, The Island is popular with international tourists.

"I saw it on TV, and I was shocked, there were so many bodies," says Ali Fauzi . "He led The Authorities on us. "

Two of his brothers, Ali Ghufron, and Amrozi, were executed, while his third, Ali Imron , is Behind Bars For Life .

Ali Fauzi , who insists That he was not involved in the Bali bombing, spent three years in prison for other terrorist-related offences. That 's when his life took on a completely New Direction .

"The Police man treated me very well. If you tortured me then, perhaps seven generations after me would be the fight of the Indonesian government," he says.

"I hated The Police , we thought of you as Satan. This is what we were taught. But the reality was quite different. That 's when my whole perspective changed. "

He also The Victims of the bombings in his group had performed.

"I screamed. My heart melted at the sight of the terrible effect of our bombs had. This is what want me to Change , really, from an agent of War to a warrior for peace. "

As the evening call to prayer, The Village plays over the Tenggulun, prayer rugs are rolled out in a square on the side of The Village 's main mosque. They are placed directly next to The Office of The Circle of peace Foundation, Ali Fauzi , to draw up in 2016, people from extremism.

The Prayer event tonight will be led by two bomb victims, the guests of honor, in this village, which was once The Base camp for the militant groups That carried out the attacks That destroyed their lives.

"I've often said sacrifice for the community," Ali Fauzi , "how the encounter with them was The Thing That destroyed my Ego . "

on the screen on the side of The Stage , a graphic video of The Aftermath of all the bombs in Indonesia .

It is an extraordinary meeting. In The Audience of The Police , the arrested members of this community, as well as those who have served Time In prison on terrorism offences.

you will hear to speak on The Victims of the bomb attacks, over tears, over The Pain They have suffered.

The Audience is the 33-year-old Zulia Mahendra. He was a teenager, when his Father , Amrozi, was arrested, sentenced to death and later executed for the bombing of Bali.

Amrozi was dubbed the "smiling assassin" by the media, to grin, because he showed No Remorse during The Trial , before, during, and defiantly to his death.

crossing divides

to bring A season of stories about the people together in a fragmented world.

After The Meeting , Mahendra the two bombs greets victims. They hug and hold hands, and he says again and again, I'm sorry.

"I would like to say sorry, not because I'm Wrong . But he was My Father and the sacrifice of My Family in the actions. I have a responsibility to say, sorry, the name of My Father . "

Zulia Mahendra was 16, when his Father was arrested And Then later executed for the bombing of Bali

Mahendra, also has been through an amazing transformation.

"When My Father was executed, I wanted to revenge. I wanted to learn How To bomb me too," he admits.

"to do But over time and with the guidance of my uncle - Ali-Fauzi and Ali Imron - you made me realize it was the Wrong thing to do. And I joined to help your project, other terrorists Change . "

Zulia Mahendra and his son

"As I was, who says I was today, am a very, very long journey," Mahendra.

"But I came to a place where I understood That the Jihad is to kill people or fight, this can mean working hard for your family. "

One night, Mahendra says, he saw with tears in his eyes on his sleeping child and thought about his Father .

"I didn't want my child to go through what I have. If I continue on My Father , my child would be abandoned. I knew That the law of jihad was to take care of you - to protect you. "

But he says he has friends who have joined splinter group of the militant groups in Indonesia , loosely connected with the Islamic state (IS) group.

"There are many reasons why a person does not go in this direction - to do with their economic situation, with something. what you are taught, and who influences you. "

Ali Fauzi is a knock on The Door of the Lamongan prison. This is a familiar place for him, come here many times to meet the members of the family serving time, but also to try working with new occupants, and you Turn Around your life.

"My deradicalisation work is not based on theory. It is from the experience of life. I was a fighter and a terrorist, so I'm in the cell, such as a friend. "

But he faces resistance and is considered by some as a traitor for cooperating with The Police .

"say, I'm even more of a kafir [infidel] as The Police or prison guards. I regularly face online abuse and threatening phone calls. But it's okay. I can handle it," he says with a smile.

"Out of the 98 people with whom we come the prison, have worked since 2016, and immediately went Back To her combative ways. "

"Deradicalisation is not easy to do because you are with people, the emotions and way of thinking, you have to give them The Right medicine. And Sometimes we get it Wrong . "

Sometimes you get it right.

in Total, he says, is one of his success stories.

He leads me to a dry area on the side of The Road outside of The Village . It was here That Total, he says, hidden weapons belonging to the Jemaah Islamiyah after the Bali bombing.

the Total points, where he can hide weapons after the 2002 Bali bombings.

After serving a three-year prison sentence, Ali Fauzi helped the Total to Set Up a Small Business - a travel company That pilgrimage packages to Mecca.

"Now I, the company wants to give something back," said Sumarno. "With this travel company, I hope That I can leave A Life of violence behind me. "

Sitting in his smart air-conditioned office in Paciran, a 20-minute drive from The Village , he says, he was nervous at first about his customers, about his violent past, even gently, to tell which village he was from.

indonesia, bali, radical islam

Source of news: bbc.com