On Wednesday afternoon, June 29, 2022, at Hotel Gajah Mada, Malang, Pradana Boy Zulian, PhD, a lecturer in the Islamic Family Law (HKI) program, attended and became one of the key speakers at the National Seminar and Joint Declaration on "Countering Radicalism and Terrorism in Indonesia."
Alongside Pradana Boy Zulian, PhD, were Kombespol Ami Prindani, S.I.K., M.Si, Director of Prevention at Densus 88 Polri, Islah Bahrawi, Executive Director of the Indonesian Moderate Network, and Eka Mahendra, S.I.K., M.Si, Head of the Counter-Narrative Subdivision at Densus 88 Polri.
Ami Prindani stated that the trend of intolerance, radicalism, and terrorism has increased over the last ten years. At least 2,000 arrests have been made by Densus 88. This issue has even spread to various government institutions, making it a significant challenge to address.
Meanwhile, Eka Mahendra emphasized that the process of radicalization needs to be countered. This requires precise and strategic counter-narratives. The root causes are political fragmentation and inter- and intra-religious conflicts. This leads to truth claims, which then escalate to intolerance, extremism, and ultimately terrorism.
In line with Eka Mahendra's statement, Islah Bahrawi explained that the instrumentalization of religion for political purposes often accelerates radicalization. Based on various interests, including political motives, this leads to the homogenization of religious teachings. The pursuit of power, referring to history, often triggers the growth of extremism.
Pradana Boy Zulian stated that to address these issues, it is essential to deepen religious knowledge and advance scientific knowledge. Additionally, the ideologization of moderate Islam, or Islam wasathiyyah, must be carried out on a massive scale. This should even follow the current trends, particularly through various social media platforms. [hb]
