By: Diani Wulandari
Religious figures are at the forefront in fighting the spread of dangerous ideas or ideologies, namely radicalism, in society so that divisions do not occur which will damage the values of Indonesian unity and integrity.
If this understanding of radicalism continues in the country, it will of course be very dangerous for many parties, including society itself and also the state of stability of the country. So the role of religious leaders as the front guard becomes very important.
Because without the role of religious figures as the front guard in society, of course living conditions among citizens in Indonesia will become chaotic because no one is able to be a good example or role model.
Regarding the importance of the role of religious leaders in helping society ward off and fighting the spread of radicalism so that it does not continue to grow, Deputy Chairman of Commission earlier information regarding various teachings that have the potential to be misleading and can cause radical attitudes to manifest, will really help the country.
How could it not be, because if religious leaders have a role in being able to detect as early as possible the potential for certain parties to spread radicalism, they will then convey this to the community so that residents increase their awareness.
Moreover, this radical and extreme attitude turns out to be very dangerous for the functioning of the state and government in Indonesia because this attitude continues to trigger people to hate each other and even hurt each other.
For this reason, the role of religious leaders, including Islamic boarding school (Islamic boarding school) caretakers and lecturers, is very important in society in terms of being a benchmark for citizens to differentiate and provide an understanding of which teachings are heretical or which teachings are true.
Until now, there continues to be development of religious teachings in Indonesia, there are even certain groups that continue to try to use weapons and impose their will, resulting in many extreme things. It is clear that all parties must be able to combat such teachings.
Radical teachings can usually be seen in general, namely when there are people who generally like to be alone and tend to like to do several actions or things outside of society’s habits.
If there are people or groups who show these characteristics, then actually the best effort to deal with them is to approach them much more intensively and in a dialogue manner.
The best principle is that dialogue is a more appropriate step to prevent the root or chain of spreading radicalism than using an action prevention approach.
For this reason, the involvement of religious leaders, ulama, preachers and many other parties in efforts to combat the spread of radicalism and terrorism is very important because they are at the forefront in seeking a direct, dialogical approach to society.
Moreover, there really is a need for joint efforts to carry out prevention even from an early age through various teachings and a much more dialogical approach, as well as carrying out massive campaigns.
The war to fight the spread of terrorism and radicalism is a very long struggle and should continue continuously. By making preventive efforts as early as possible through various things such as discussion, dialogue and friendship, it will be able to help all parties, including the security forces.
Meanwhile, Assistant Chief of Police for Human Resources (As SDM Kapolri), Inspector General of Police (Irjen Pol) Dedi Prasetyo revealed that terrorism usually occurs either by individuals or in groups to achieve certain goals by using violence and spreading terror.
Meanwhile, the motive itself can be from many things, such as religion, ideology, fighting for independence, freeing oneself from injustice and other certain interests.
Discussing what the purpose of acts of terrorism can be, the beginning of which is radicalism, usually they mostly create fear and terror, and can also aim to commit violence.
For your information, terrorism itself falls into the category of extraordinary crime, so law enforcement must also be carried out in extraordinary ways.
For religious figures, this is actually the initial entry point for the teachings of radicalism and terrorism in Indonesia. It is possible that they could be the entry point for this extreme ideology because of the intolerant content that they spread.
Therefore, the best step that religious leaders can take is, as the front guard who often come into direct contact with society, they can continue to spread moderate things so that citizens are educated and can work together to fight radicalism in Indonesia.
