Former Gafatar Movement Members to Undergo Counseling Program

20160123- Ratusan Eks Gafatar Istirahat di Cipayung-Jakarta-Yoppy Renato — Sejumlah pengungsi eks Gafatar dibawa ke rumah penampungan Panti Sosial Bina Insan (PSBI), Cipayung, Jakarta, Sabtu (23/1/2016). Panti sosial ini menampung sebanyak 118 eks Gafatar. (Liputan6.com/Yoppy Renato)

Liputan6.com, Jakarta - The Indonesian government previously expresses its utmost concern about the presence of Gerakan Fajar Nusantara (Gafatar) movement which the country’s Muslim Council deemed as ‘illegal’ or ideologically misleading.

The immediate move made by the government and involving institution is to capture those signaling signs of membership into the evidently expanding group and have them held under custody in specifically selected houses owned by the Social Ministry.

They will be assigned to follow equally specific programs that are designed to set them free from the misleading religious principles the group has been relying heavily to under the leadership of former convict Ahmad Mussadeq.

Supposedly linked to Al Qayidah Al Islamiyah, the movement has called for government’s immediate response. 568 former Gafatar movement followers have been sent to Indonesia’s capital city Jakarta on Saturday January 23 2016 using airplane as mode of transportation to be allocated in specific locations set by the Ministry of Social Affairs where their mindsets will be ‘neutralized’.

Sejumlah eks Gafatar beristirahat di rumah penampungan Panti Sosial Bina Insan (PSBI), Cipayung, Jakarta, Sabtu (23/1/2016). Ratusan eks Gafatar itu akan menjalani proses rehabilitasi. (Liputan6.com/Yoppy Renato)

A social institution called Bina Insan Bangun Daya 2 in Bambu Apus in East Jakarta has been chosen as one of the place to accommodate 118 former Gafatar movement members with 53 of them reportedly adults and the rest are identified by age as still underage. These individuals, which originated from Bangka Belitung, Riau island, Depok and Bekasi, were scheduled to participate in 5 days long counter-indoctrination program.

“We will give them five days for their mindset to be healthily restored from previous acute brainwashing. We ought to make necessary clarification to each and every one of them that the concept they have been glorifying over in the past is wrong,” Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama shared on Sunday 24 January 2016.

According to him, the Indonesian Muslim Council would be the one responsible of assuring the effective undertaking of this program and informs that Jakarta’s government will only act as a supporter to such positive venture.

The other 450 people that have been identified as former Gafatar movement members will undergo similar programs in other social houses set by the Indonesian Ministry of Social Affairs.