Religious Moderation is an Important Key to Preventing Radicalism and Creating Peaceful Elections
Religious moderation is an important key in preventing radicalism in Indonesia. Especially ahead of the 2024 election where there are predictions of an increase in attacks from radical and terrorist groups. To create peaceful elections in 2024, religious moderation must be promoted throughout Indonesia.
Ahead of the 2024 election, the public needs to be aware of the issue of radicalism which is generally circulating on social media. This issue is very dangerous because it can mislead people’s minds and trigger riots. Moreover, radical groups view the government as an enemy, so they want to disrupt the election procession. Therefore, the spread of radicalism and terrorism must be prevented so that the elections can take place peacefully.
To prevent radicalism and terrorism, one way is to implement religious moderation. Religious moderation is not just having a religion, but rather realizing that having good relationships with fellow humans is also rewarding, not just obeying God.
Head of the Environmental Security Sub-Directorate of the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) Setyo Pranowo stated that 52% of Indonesian people who have the right to vote in the 2024 Election are young people, aka first-time voters. However, they are exploited by radical groups, which are increasingly spreading the virus of radicalism and terrorism.
Especially for youth and students, it is estimated that the virus of radical terrorism will spread through social media. It is estimated that the spread of radicalism among youth and students continues to be intensified by radical terrorist groups, especially through social media.
Observing this condition, it can be said that youth and social media are two strategic points in the transformation of understanding and recruitment of members of radical groups.
This violent group targets the negligence of teachers, teaching staff, society and the government to influence youth or students and control social media as their tool. Therefore, there needs to be a program to ward off radicalism. One of them is religious moderation.
BNPT, through the Directorate of Prevention, Sub-Directorate of Community Empowerment, invites teachers and teaching staff throughout Indonesia to be aware of radical and terrorist movements, both internally in schools and externally in the community. To overcome radicalism, there needs to be a dominant understanding of religion so that the role of schools is quite large in fortifying this young generation with religious moderation.
If all Indonesian citizens, including young people, understand religious moderation then they will not be too fanatical or extreme right. Everything should not be excessive, including religious fanaticism. The reason is that if you are too fanatical you will easily be offended by differences, even though in Indonesia there are 6 beliefs recognized by the state, so it is natural that there are many differences in society.
Only with religious moderation can people carry out religious worship and rituals in a balanced manner, without having to go extreme to the left or right. Religious moderation is not just having a religion, but rather realizing that having good relationships with fellow humans is also rewarding, not just obeying God.
When differences are too contested, it will be very dangerous because it can damage national unity. Therefore, religious moderation must be promoted again in order to realize a peaceful and smooth 2024 election. Don’t let riots arise because of a lack of understanding of religious moderation which has the potential to damage next year’s election procession.
Meanwhile, Sholehuddin, a lecturer at Muhammadiyah University in Jakarta, stated that the radicalism index in Indonesia reached 29% and was still within safe limits. However, radicalism must be watched out for because it could disrupt the 2024 elections.
Radicalism and terrorism in Indonesia are motivated by religious understanding so that things related to religious ideology that are sensitive or easy to trigger for them were previously only exposed through understanding into action. So, one strategy to deal with this vulnerability is through religious moderation. The result is that the 2024 elections can run peacefully and smoothly.
Religious moderation is understanding religious teachings in a moderate way, not too extreme right or extreme left. Isn’t too much of it bad? When you are moderately religious, you also understand your relationship with God and your relationships with fellow humans, so you must respect each other.
Tolerance is one of the supporting factors in religious moderation, because if someone does not become an extremist, they will be tolerant of other people. Not only for others who have the same belief but also for those who have other beliefs. With tolerance, we will respect each other more, because even though they have different beliefs, these people are brothers in humanity.
Society must promote tolerance again because too much chaos has occurred due to intolerance (which is also carried out by radical groups). Religious tolerance and moderation are powerful ways to ward off radicalism and terrorism. With religious moderation, people will better understand differences and not be fanatical and extreme. He can respect differences in political choices and work together to realize a peaceful 2024 election.
