Engagement Policy Towards Repatriated Indonesian Women from Overseas Jihad Battlefronts

Transnational violent attacks and extremism often considered as a men’s landscape. Violent ideology and guns are also distributed globally by groups of men. However, this phenomenon started to shift along with the rise of ISIS. Women emerged as a vital group to propaganda and executive role of terrorist attacks across the globe, given their innocent and passive stereotypes. Following ISIS’ downfall, their followers including male and female, ex-combatants, women and children followers hope to better their conditions by returning to their home countries. Government of Indonesia faces several dilemmas on this, whether to repatriate or not. In addition to that, Indonesian agencies have not fully aware that women could serve both as messenger of extreme ideology propaganda and as the important witnesses to blow up ISIS’ wrongdoings. This paper would fill the existing gap of gendered paradigm by inserting the framework of inclusion of gender role in preventing and countering violent extremism policymaking process., especially in preparing for the repatriation of Indonesian women from ex ISIS camps. This paper also identifies the broader role the women plays during their jihad experience overseas and what kinds of threats they can possess while returning home. To conclude, women experts and officers should not be marginalized further in counter extremism efforts at home, as they can tear down psychological and cultural barrier in policymaking inputs.