By: Savira Ayu)*
Radicalism is a dangerous ideology that can influence society, including through social media. Each party is expected to work together to stem the spread of radicalism through the internet, because it is considered to spread faster.
Indonesia is a country that is included in the top 5 in the world, which uses the internet the most. In this country, the internet network is not only made for streaming songs or watching movies, but also for doing business. However, the easy access to the internet in Indonesia and the abundance of social media make the alarm sound because it is also used by radical groups.
Radical groups have started to invade social media because they are targeting Indonesian netizens who are young. Young people become easy targets to become new cadres because they have energy and idealism. They are also active social media users, so it’s no wonder radical groups are increasingly comfortable on Instagram and Twitter.
We must be aware of the spread of radicalism on social media. The government has tried to suppress it so it doesn’t get too bad. The anti-terror Detachment 88 arrested 6 terrorists whose job it was to spread propaganda on social media, and one of them was in charge of translating the incitement content of ISIS from Arabic to Indonesian.
Sydney Jones, a terrorism observer, stated “One of the terrorist groups led by Santoso uses social media to spread his teachings. These include Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube. Even his power on social media is considered to be greater than in Poso.”
This finding reveals the fact that radical groups do not play games on social media because they use it to increase their influence in Indonesia. Moreover, social media can use fake accounts so they think they will be safe from being chased by the authorities. In fact, this is not the case because the IP can be traced and investigated by the cyber police.
As good citizens, we are also obliged to dispel terrorism in cyberspace, not only sad about its spread. Especially from their own families and mothers are the first madrasas for their children, and children and young people must be taught what radicalism and terrorism are and what are the dangers.
In addition, the family is also taught the dangers of radicalism and terrorism, for example, they can take the lives of others or even themselves. Whereas suicide as a result of being a bridal bomb is a sin and will not be forgiven. Children will not want to read the news even though it is often shared on social media.
If there is direct teaching from parents, it will keep children and young people away from the dangers of terrorism, because they know that it is strictly forbidden. They understand that terrorism is against state law and religious law. There is no teaching in the faith that allows his followers to attack and kill brutally, so that the terrorists make a big mistake when they carry out bombings.
The children also understand that jihad is not by attacking other people but jihad is an attempt to contain emotions so as not to harm others. Jihad can also be done by earning a living for the family. So if someone carries out an attack with the excuse of jihad and it is published on social media, he is very wrong.
We must be aware of the spread of radialism through social media because terrorist groups are still entrenched there. They deliberately spread hoaxes and propaganda in order to increase their supporters, especially for young people who often hang out on social media. Teaching about anti-radicalism must also be carried out from the nuclear family.
) *The author is a contributor to Pertiwi Institute
