The logo of Indonesian Islamic University (UII) is seen on the arched entrance to its campus in Yogyakarta. - Campus/UII
JAKARTA (The Jakarta Post/Asia News Network):): The Indonesian Islamic University (UII) in Yogyakarta denied its lecturer might have joined an extremist organisation after such rumours popped up following his mysterious disappearance abroad.
Ahmad Munasir Rafie Pratama, a 37-year-old information technology (IT) lecturer, reportedly spoke to his family, saying he was in Oslo waiting to board a flight to Istanbul, Turkey, on Feb 12, before they lost all communication with him.
But, based on information provided by United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the university said Ahmad had entered the US via Boston Logan International Airport, Boston, on Feb. 13. It remains unclear why or how Ahmad is in the US, particularly since he was not scheduled to go there. His exact location in the US is also unknown.
His mysterious disappearance sparked rumours on social media that he may have joined an extremist organisation, considering that several Indonesians had travelled to Turkey in the past to join Islamic State.
UII rector Fathul Wahid dismissed this speculation, saying Ahmad was more likely in the US due to his numerous projects there and that chances were “very, very small” that he would join such a movement.
“Ahmad often visits [the US]. Aside from having taken his doctoral education at a university [there], he also has a few research projects in that country,” Fathul said on Monday (Feb 20), as quoted by kompas.id.
He urged the public to refrain from making such speculations, lest it give Ahmad reason not to return home.
News first broke of Ahmad’s disappearance on Friday, when the Yogyakarta Police posted a missing person notice for the IT professor on its social media accounts.
Ahmad, Fathul and other colleagues arrived on Feb 5 in Oslo, where the group met with their counterparts from the University of South-Eastern Norway (USN), located on the outskirts of the Norwegian capital. Fathul last saw Ahmad on Feb 11, the day before the latter was due to depart alone from Oslo and head to Istanbul.
From Istanbul, Ahmad had originally planned to head to Riyadh and then return to Istanbul, before boarding a flight scheduled to arrive in Indonesia on Thursday.
While Ahmad did not inform anyone of his arrival in Istanbul, the UII has found traces of Ahmad’s digital footprint later that day in the Turkish city, where he accessed a virtual private network (VPN) at around 7pm local time.
