Former terrorist is Indonesia comic book hero

People: Nasir Abas went from helping train extremists,to informing police about inner-workings of the Jemaah Islamiyah.

The real life adventures of former al-Qaeda-linked militant Nasir Abas have become a comic book in Indonesia,chronicling his transformation from foe to invaluable ally in the fight against terrorism.

The story of the seemingly mild-mannered 42-year-old,recognised by strangers on the streets and even asked for the occasional autograph,is well-known in the worlds most populous Muslim country.

He went from helping train Muslim extremists who carried out some of Southeast Asias deadliest attacks,including the 2002 Bali bombings,to informing the police about the inner workings of the Jemaah Islamiyah network.

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He has also joined a government programme to convince convicted terrorists that killing civilians is wrong. I want children to learn from my experience, Abas said of the comic I Found the Meaning of Jihad.

Abas,a Malaysian national who now lives in Jakarta,has been one of its biggest success stories. Kids at an elementary school squealed when shown a copy of the book and flipped through the lively,glossy pages. Ohhhh. Thats gotta be Osama bin Laden, said Anif Ahmad Aulia,10,pointing at a picture of a white-bearded cleric. Ya,hes evil, chimed in Qinthara Taqiyyah,a fifth-grader.

The comic traces the hero Abass early days at an Islamic boarding school to his recruitment as a fighter against the West in Afghanistan in the 1980s. He rose quickly through the ranks of Jemaah Islamiyah,which was trying to carve out an Islamic state. The shift came in 1998,when Osama issued a fatwa urging revenge against Americans on both military and nonmilitary targets.

Some JI members agreed. But others,Abas included,believed Islam only condoned the killing of enemies when there was a clearly defined battleground and a direct threat. But,deadly attacks followed in late 2000. Abas said,It was very clear to me there was no benefit for Islam or our struggle.

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On October 12,2002,things went from bad to worse. Thats when some of the men Abas trained blew up two Bali nightclubs,killing 202 people. He was captured in April 2003 in the massive security crackdown that followed. Convinced he was going to be tortured and possibly killed,he was surprised to see how gently he was treated by Interrogators. Theyd apparently learned that he did not support the attacks. Look at my eyes,do I look hostile to Islam? the anti-terror squad chief Col. Bekto Suprapto,is quoted in the comic book as saying. If you dont agree with the bombings,let us together stop it. By morning,Abas was ready to talk.