Returning ISIS fighters could be used to counter extremist propaganda corrupting susceptible Muslim Australians, an expert says.
But Prime Minister Tony Abbott has flatly rejected the possibility, saying those who have travelled to conflict zones will be arrested, prosecuted and jailed upon their return.
The idea still has merit, according to Islam-West relations expert Halim Rane.
"These are people that have come full circle," the Griffith University associate professor told AAP on Tuesday.
"They know what it is to be influenced by the narrative of ISIS. They've seen what ISIS is doing on the ground."
Prof Rane said returned fighters would speak with credibility to those susceptible to ISIS propaganda, in the same way that overseas rehabilitation centres recruit those with first-hand experience.
"You'd have to ask yourself - who better than those people to be involved in the counter-narratives?" he said.
Prof Rane, who will speak at a seminar on the global impacts of ISIS in Brisbane on Tuesday afternoon, said the extensive reach of social media was difficult to offset.
He said some Muslims, even those born into the religion, don't have a particularly well-informed understanding of the faith.
Complicating the problem was the terror group's messages - which are often underpinned by common Muslim ideas such as Sharia as an Islamic law, but with a more extremist element.
"Part of the challenge in countering the ISIS narrative is to counter ideas that Muslims generally subscribe to and accept," Prof Rane said.
In the absence of mandatory sentencing for terror-related offences, there could be scope for using returned fighters to address issues of radicalisation and ISIS narratives within Australia, he said.
"I can't envisage addressing some of those problems without those people."
AAP jmk/np/
