#NAT MZ: 00;11;20;06 people are wondering, why this gentle teacher/ustaz, was willing to partake in jihad in Syria, and was willing to leave his wife and children. PST: In rural northern Malaysia, students are urged to follow the path of their teacher. Di perkampungan utara Malaysia, murid-murid diingatkan untuk mengikut haluan ustaz mereka. 00;18;47;25 We as his students, we should follow the footsteps of our teacher Mohd Lotfi. 00;19;02;11 The lesson comes from his brother, Mohd Zainon, a religious preacher, and it seems to be working. Khutbah ini diberikan oleh Ustaz Mohd Zainon, abang kepada Mohd Lotfi. Murid-muridnya tekun mendengar. QUOTE FROM STUDENT FOOTAGE OF LOTFI — INTRO In January, Mohd Lotfi went to Syria to join Ajnad al Sham, an Islamist rebel group seeking to overthrow President Bashar al Assad. Mohd Lotfi menyertai Ajnad al Sham di Syria Januari lalu. Kumpulan ini mahu menumbangkan Presiden Bashar al Assad. NAT — I strive for you, god. Zainon We need to understand that for this fight he left behind his relatives, wife and children, friends and his village. Friends, family, security. Why leave all that behind? Sahabat, keluarga dan keselesaan. Mengapa semua ini ditinggalkan? NAT - Lotfi — Allahuakbar. Islam is the official religion of Malaysia, a diverse, prosperous and democratic country. Many here enjoy comfortable lives. Islam adalah agama rasmi Malaysia, sebuah negara majmuk, kaya dan demokratik. Rakyat Malaysia hidup dengan selesa. [POP] The muslim majority practices a moderate form of Sunni Islam. But in the past year, officials say a growing number have embraced a more extreme ideology of jihadi salafism. Umat Islam di sini bermazhab Sunni dengan pemahaman sederhana. Namun, penguatkuasa mengatakan kebelakangan ini, ramai yang mulai mengikuti fahaman jihadi salafi. It’s what Lotfi and his followers ascribe to. Fahaman ini diikuti oleh Lotfi dan pengikut-pengikutnya. NAT — Village sounds, Dutch chicken It was here in the northern state of Kedah that Lotfi lived. Along with his brother, he founded and ran the Nurul Hidayah madrassa. Lotfi tinggal di Kedah, utara Semenanjung. Dia menubuhkan Madrasah Nurul Hidayah bersama abangnya. It’s conservative here. In each class, the boys are separated from the girls. Budayanya koservatif di sini. Pelajar lelaki dan perempuan diasingkan. The students here respect and admire Lotfi for his lifelong piety. Zainon says his brother studied sharia law in Pakistan and joined the mujahadeen in Afghanistan in the early nineties, before returning home to raise a family. Ahmad Salahuddin is his oldest son. Murid-murid disini menghormati kealiman Lotfi. Zainon berkata, adiknya menuntut ilmu shariah di Pakistan dan menyertai Mujahideen di Afghanistan pada tahun 90-an. Ahmad Salahuddin adalah anak sulung Lotfi. Ahmad: We were very serious with him. We hardly spoke. Even sitting next to him was tough. Dad was always away, delivering sermons. NAT — LOTFI TALKING ABOUT EVIL SHIAS, BASHAR AND MUJAHIDEEN In Syria, more than 100,000 people have been killed. Deeply troubled by what he saw as injustice towards Sunnis, Lotfi wanted to wage jihad against Shias and Assad’s army. Melihatkan kezaliman keatas penganut Sunni, Lotfi berikrar untuk menentang penganut Shia dan tentera Assad. Ahmad: When dad first said he wanted to go to Syria, I felt weird. Was he really going? On January 31, 2014, Lotfi said goodbye to his brother. Pada 31 Januari 2014, Lotfi meninggalkan abangnya. MZ: When the time came, I was sad because I knew he was going. MZ: We hugged for a long time. Even his friend was puzzled as to why we were hugging for so long. NAT — Walking up steps — “This is where people are going to pray.” Even with Lotfi gone, the madrasa continues to thrive. With enrollment now topping 170, a new school is being built across the street from the old one. Madarasah ini terus berkembang dengan ketiadaan Lotfi. Dengan 170 pelajar, sebuah lagi bangunan sedang dibina. Lofti’s popularity enabled him to raise the funds for this construction. Kemasyhuran Lotfi membolehkannya mengumpul derma untuk bangunan ini. NAT MZ: 00;01;56;24 We are going to keep alive Ustaz Mohd Lotfi’s battle/struggle. 00;02;41;23 When he expressed desire to go to Syria, he was confident that this project would continue. AK: He has his own religious school in Kedah, so a lot of charisma. // So that’s the main attraction for people. So when they see Ustad Lofti there, they they want to go and join him. 00;16;42;20 Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay leads Malaysia’s counter terrorism task force and has been monitoring recruitment efforts of jihadis. Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay mengetuai usaha menghentikan keganasan dan telah mengawal usaha merekrut jihadi. AK: 00;09;16;13 Recruitment is carried out through facebook. There’s no need for you to have physical contact. // That’s why they managed to recruit 00;09;32;03 this members from various backgrounds. 00;09;35;04 student, professor, professional. In the past two years, officials have arrested more than 60 people and charged at least 23 for their involvement with Syrian militant groups. Sejak dua tahun lepas, penguatkuasa telah menahan lebih daripada 60 orang dan mendakwa sekurang-kurangnya 23 orang di atas penglibatan mereka dengan militan Syria. It is part of an effort to prevent others in the region from leaving. Ini merupakan sebahagian daripada usaha untuk mengelakkan lebih ramai orang daripada menjadi jihadi, seperti Lotfi. NAT — Syria AK: If we allow them to go to Syria. 00;22;40;10 they will have this networking there, contact with other groups, they will manage to get training there, how to make a bomb, how to make weapons 00;22;55;24 and the most important thing is in terms of ideology and come back. May_15_just_arrived.mp4 00:00:18:06 Ahmad: Ustaz, we are proud of that young Malaysians these days, a lot of them are now aware. Lofti: Here your friend on facebook is asking. “Salam Ustaz. Is my friend there in Syria? His name is Fadhlan Shahidi. Has Fadhlan arrived yet?” Let’s answer. TYPING AND SPEAKING. He is by my side. Ahmad: Why don’t you take a picture? Lotfi’s social media network connected him to his community back home. Nineteen-year-old Yusran Budiman is a follower. Lotfi berhubung dengan kampung halamannya melalui media sosial. Yusran Budiman juga sering mengikuti perkembangannya. SOT — Ever since Mohd Lotfi went to jihad, I’ve been getting photos and videos of him from his children and uploading them to Facebook. NAT — Video of Lotfi on Salahuddin’s phone For his family, Facebook and the mobile application, Whatsapp, provided a direct link to their father. Facebook dan Whatsapp juga membolehkan keluarga Lotfi berhubung dengannya. NAT — Salahuddin reading Whatsapp messages: Where is mom? Study hard and be patient. Listen to your mother. Don’t complain. SOT Salahuddin: 07:05 I felt quite sad actually, quite sorrowful, because we were thinking that he is soo far and this was the only way to speak to him. When we would send him a Whatsapp message, he didn’t always respond immediately. He was busy fighting or doing whatever. NAT — Tank rolling by. We see Lotfi. NAT — VIDEO — LOTFI Teacher, where are you going? — He wants to go to heaven. — God willing. PST: In mid-September, he became the martyr he set out to be, dying of injuries sustained during a Syrian Air Force strike in Hama. Pada bulan September, Mohd Lotfi mendapat syahid. Selepas cedera parah dalam serangan tentera udara Syria di Hama, dia meninggal dunia. Salahuddin: He achieved his goal. It’s not easy to become a martyr. Allah chose him. Praise Allah. // NAT — Zainon crying ENDIT