KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians heading for Syria and Iraq to fight with the Islamic State have been taking out bank loans to fund their journey and life there.

Sources from Bukit Aman told the New Straits Times that investigation papers on at least five Malaysian fighters, who were stopped from going over, showed that they had not only disposed of most of their properties, but had also applied for loans, some up to more than RM100,000.

The Special Branch’s Counter- Terrorism Division (SB-CTD), meanwhile, said in cutting this lifeline for Malaysians headed for these countries, it would alert banks to slam the door on those they had strong grounds to believe were IS members sourcing for funds.

It has emerged that the 30-year-old former National Service trainer, who was arrested at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Wednesday, had taken out a RM20,00 loan.

He quit his job the minute the money came in, and began his trip to Turkey.

Brunei and India were supposed to be among his stops.

Sources close to probes said many of these suspects had applied for the loans with no intention of repaying them as their road to martyrdom was one way.

They believed this trend had begun for some time and that many of these suspects’ comrades in Syria and Iraq had done it before.

The new recruits they added, followed their seniors’ lead.

It is understood that a woman, who was arrested as she was leaving the country for Syria, was found to have secured a loan amounting to no less than RM100,000 from a local bank.

“Some of them subscribed to the idea that even if they do come back to Malaysia, they would be arrested and settling the loan would be the least of their problems,” one of the sources said.

SB-CTD principal assistant director Datuk Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay said police had found that this method of raising funds was fast becoming a trend among IS members here.

“We know that before this, many militants wanting to fight in Syria would sell off their belongings or were sponsored to go over (there) by IS supporters in the country.

“Lately, however, the trend of taking personal loans from banks is on the rise.

“They include young militants, especially those in the early 20s. Those with low credit ratings will apply for personal loans for as low as RM5,000.”

He told the NST that militants who had succeeded in making it to Syria with the monies would use them to, among others, arm themselves, including with an AK47 assault rifle, which costs about RM2,000 each.

He said Malaysians fighting alongside IS militants would receive a comfortable monthly allowance from the terrorist group.

Another set of sources said counterterrorism operatives were keeping an eye on religious schools and orphanages that had organised fund-raising activities to support the IS group

International Islamic University Malaysia’s Department of Fiqh and Usul al-Fiqh’s (Islamic Law and
Jurisprudence) Wan Rumaizi
Wan Husin said the militants
did not have a thorough understanding of Islam.

“In Islam, even before you think of going for jihad, you must clear off all your debts and make sure your family is taken care of.

“If I may remind them of a quote from a hadith that says, ‘The Prophet said all the sins of a martyr in the cause of Allah are forgiven, except debt’.”

-nst