By: Putri Anjarwati) *
The mosque is actually a place of prostration, performing congregational prayers and other worship activities that aim to draw closer to Allah.
It’s just that the sacred building is often misused by groups with certain understandings. In early June 2018, Alissa Wahid made a research that stirred the public, especially among Muslims. Where the survey shows that 40 mosques in Jakarta have been exposed to radicalism.
The main thing is actually not the mosque, but the mosque’s takmir. Especially when the person tends to accept certain groups to preach and spread hateful values towards other groups.
The phenomenon of mosques exposed to radicalism is also reinforced by research conducted by the Setara Institute. The Halili Institute Equivalent Research Director stated that radicalism in Indonesia to the place of worship actually took place as a legacy of regime change in the reform era. Post-reform there is a lack of clarity between the limits of freedom and the protection of the public arenas from ideological infiltration.
His party exemplified the practice of radicalism by spreading takfiri doctrine. Those who believe in this doctrine can easily call other people who are in opposition to their views as infidels. Its exclusive nature makes its followers tend to cover themselves up from differences.
This is what then destroys tolerance in Indonesian society which previously saw differences as something normal and ordinary. Halili also believes that the emergence of intolerance in society is what triggers the development of terrorism and radicalism in Indonesia.
In practice those who embrace radicalism tend to use violence. In Indonesia this violence can be seen in various bombings and attacks on state symbols (one of them is the police). The symbols of capitalism such as entertainment venues and hotels are also referred to as one of the targets of acts of violence that are often carried out because they see things – things that are not in accordance with the principles – the religion he believes.
When viewed from the understanding of the variety, these people consider that the correct interpretation of religion is the interpretation of the group itself. One fundamental example is related to the understanding of the concept of jihad. They reject the views of most scholars who interpret Jihad as an optimal effort and truly in various aspects of life. The interpretation of jihad for them is offensive war. This is the only correct way for them to uphold the khilafah state they believe in.
The irony is, when the way of war is impossible to do, what happens is an act of terror. This terror akso is the way they use to show the world that radicalism still exists and never dies. Even so, they work in strong underground cells so that when a character dies, another character will replace him.
According to the Director of Communication and Information of the State Intelligence Agency (BIN), Wawan Hari Purwanto, the issue is the basis for BIN to resolve various terror threats. He said that BIN was still monitoring because he realized that the threat of radicalism was not over. Therefore, the involvement of all parties is considered necessary to maintain security in the future.
Regarding the indication of mosques exposed to radicalism, this is also a note for BIN. Continuous monitoring is done so that radicalism does not expand and widen. Already the mosque should be guarded together so that it can become a normal place of worship and avoid the teachings that lead to radical movements.
Wawan also emphasized that in this case it was not the wrong mosque, but rather the person who used the mosque for activities that led to radicalism itself. Radical activities in this case are interpreted as attitudes that offend SARA or activities that are counterproductive to the government.
So far, BIN has made early anticipation efforts through monitoring. The goal is that movements which have the potential to disrupt the stability of state security can be immediately neutralized. Thus, it is expected that the handling of radicalism in various regions in Indonesia will be carried out without using intimidation or even repressive actions.
The neutralization step is carried out by BIN as a prevention effort so that the handling of radicalism can be right on target. With preventive steps, it is expected that later the main actors or parties who have so far conveyed a false message to the public can return to the corridor. For this reason, Wawan expects the public to understand that in principle there are no efforts to harm, especially criminalization in handling radicalism in Indonesia.
BIN also conveyed donations from a number of countries to build mosques in Indonesia. He realized that this donation had the potential to cause its own problems in handling the radicalism that it did. Especially when donations are also provided with figures from donor countries to teach religious education in the mosque.
To eliminate radicalism in mosques, certainly synergy between ministries and institutions is needed. This is because there are several factors that trigger the emergence of radicalism in Indonesia, such as understanding religion, injustice to poverty. Shallow and erroneous religious understanding is a major factor in the spread of radicalism to terrorism in Indonesia.
The handling of radicalism in Indonesia certainly cannot be done alone by the government. People are also asked to avoid those who openly oppose Pancasila and believe in new ideologies that are not in accordance with the ideology of the Indonesian Nation. Moreover, if there are certain groups that invite people to behave / behave intolerantly towards others.
) * The author is an active social media activist in the study of radicalism