By: Alif Fikri )*
All elements of society must be able to continue to increase their vigilance regarding the spread of radical ideas and teachings, which will later lead to extremism and terrorism. Especially in the widespread use of social media today.
The spread of radical ideology and ideology or also known as radicalism related to anything, especially regarding religion, is still a serious threat to the life of the nation and state in the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI). How could it not be, the article is that understanding radicalism itself can become the embryo of the birth of extremism and even acts of terrorism.
Therefore, it really needs the role and attention of all parties in an effort to be able to ward off this threat, especially in the midst of challenges in the era of openness and easy access to all forms of information such as the widespread use of the internet and social media as it is today.
Regarding this matter, the Executive Director of the Madani Muslim Network (JMM), Syukron Jamal stated that indeed in the industrial era 4.0 which was marked by an increasingly rapid flow of information, there was a new phenomenon, namely a shift in the spread of understanding and also thoughts in the digital world.
It is also undeniable that indeed social media has now become an arena for ideological battles and also understandings which are completely no exception in which there is a battle for religious understanding. This is sometimes also infiltrated by parties who wish to spread radicalism by using information battles on social media.
According to Syukron Jamal, currently one of the massive spreads of ideology is religious ideology. He sees that there is indeed a lot of spread of religious ideology on the internet and social media, which sometimes even contradicts the teachings of the religion itself such as the spread of radicalism, extremism and even terrorism, according to him, it is so real that it penetrates into the joints of life in the nation and state. in the present era.
Furthermore, the Executive Director of JMM reminded that indeed the ideology of purifying religion using a radical approach is a very serious threat to the sustainability of a nation. So that it is necessary to be addressed jointly by all elements of society in Indonesia.
He also revealed that santri are the vanguard in order to be able to continue to provide campaigns for moderate Islamic teachings to be able to fight discourse related to movements that understand intolerance, radicalism, extremism and terrorism in the country.
Santri must indeed be able to counteract and prevent religious ideologies that invite people to understand intolerance, radicalism, extremism and terrorism. Syukron Jamal gives a comparison that if in the past the ulemas came to Indonesia to be able to convert the wider community to Islam, but today, they are reformers who have come to Indonesia by continuing to disbelieve those who are already Muslim.
Meanwhile, the caretaker of the Al Hikam Student Islamic Boarding School, Muhammad Nafi, revealed that the role of female students cannot be denied, their position is very important, especially in giving birth to the next generation in maintaining the integrity of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia.
For him, female students are a priority to be able to be given national insight, because the role of women is indeed very important as a mother in giving birth to the nation’s best generation. The mother is even said to be the first teacher figure for the child, especially when at home.
On the other hand, the Head of Sub-Directorate for Counter Narrative, Directorate of Prevention of Special Detachment 88 of the National Police, Mayndra Eka Wardhana explained that currently terrorist networks are indeed very open and they don’t even hesitate anymore, including they are no longer closed like in the past when their efforts were to recruit new member.
Mayndra Eka Wardhana compared how the movement of radicalism networks today and in the past. According to him, since the Parawiyanro era who led JI, the recruitment of terrorist cadres was carried out more openly and this was also in contrast to when JI was still led by Abdullah Sungkar and Abu Bakar Ba’asyir, at that time the recruitment of new members was carried out secretly.
The member of the Special Detachment 88 of the Indonesian National Police also reminded again that the radical understanding movement has indeed been very massive and is also rife even now targeting various campuses in Indonesia. They are also known to have used a lot of social media since 2010, such as FB, Twitter, Instagram to Tiktok.
So that the spread of radical ideas and teachings that can lead to extremism, even to terrorism, really deserves to be watched out for by all elements of Indonesian society, especially in the era of information dissemination and widespread use of the internet and social media like today.
)* The author is a contributor to the Nusa Bangsa Institute
