By: Ismail)*
The arrest of students who support ISIS is proof that the spread of radicalism is still happening in Indonesia. The public is reminded to be more alert to the spread of radical ideas that can threaten the integrity of the Unitary Republic of Indonesia.
Young people are the future of the nation because they are the successors of the nation. But sadly, radicalism has started to penetrate young people and this is intentional because young people have the energy and intelligence, so they can be used by terrorist groups. How sad when they should study seriously on campus and be busy organizing, but it turns out that they are cadres of terror groups.
The arrest of a student in Malang who is an ISIS sympathizer is proof that radicalism and terrorism have entered young people. The student not only spreads radicalism through social media, but also seeks funds for ISIS needs.
Kombes Aswin Siregar, Head of the Operational Assistance Section for Anti-terror Detachment 88, the National Police, appealed to the public not to make donations or donations to unknown groups or organizations. The reason is because the donation could be misused and the organization is a terrorist group under the guise.
The issue of donations is indeed surprising because the money given by the public is actually used as terrorist financing. Especially now that there are many institutions that advertise on social media and promote online donations. The public must be vigilant so as not to be deceived, donations for orphans are instead used as terrorist financing, which means fertilizing radicalism and terrorism in Indonesia.
Meanwhile, the public is also advised to be aware of terrorism among young people. Not only youth who drop out of school but students are also easy targets for radical groups. Young people are deliberately made new cadres because they have intelligence and creativity, but instead they are misused to support terrorism and radicalism in this country.
If there are children who study outside the city, their parents can monitor them, lest they become terrorist cadres. Parents must be able to monitor each circle of friends. This is to prevent children from being exposed to radicalism.
Supervision can also be done by monitoring the social media of young people. Parents can occasionally see his profile, whether he is active on social media or just has. If it is active, are there any posts with the theme of terrorism and radicalism? Through social media, it is also possible to monitor whether their children admire terrorists or even hate them.
Even though the child is over 17 years old, it still needs control. This is reasonable to do to prevent young people from becoming terrorists. Don’t get sent to a good college and be educated, but instead become a terrorist sympathizer.
Supervision and guidance for young children should be carried out by parents and should not be neglected. Parents are also obliged to pay attention to the psychological aspects of their children, lest their children get frustrated because they encounter a number of problems and end up vulnerable to being recruited by radical groups.
The public must be aware of the spread of radicalism among young people, especially students. With the involvement of all these parties, the spread of radicalism can be suppressed and the nation’s future can be saved.
)* The author is a contributor to the Nusa Bangsa institute