Yogyakarta, 29 August 2019—In regard to countering terrorism, very little research has been done to understand the appropriate method for deradicalization after a terrorist has been arrested. Hence, most attempts of countering terrorism only focus on short-term goals, while neglecting the long-term aspects. Therefore, the Institute of International Studies (IIS) UGM held a discussion to dive further on this matter.
This discussion was led by Cut Intan Auliannisa Isma from IIS and featured two guest speakers from different backgrounds. The first speaker was Hardya Pranadipa, which recently earned his M.A. degree from the International Institute of Social Studies in Den Haag, and also an alumnus from the Department of International Relations of UGM. Meanwhile, the second speaker was Abu Tholut Al-Jawiy, an expert of Islamic social movements and a former member of Jemaah Islamiyah.
As an expert on deradicalization, Hardya Pranadipa, or Dipa for short, stated that Indonesia should enact the proper deradicalization policies. He believed that Indonesia’s current deradicalization policies are too security-centred and neglected the social aspects. This is important, as social aspects are one of the main reasons on why some people decided to join terrorist groups.
Abu Tholut agreed with Dipa’s statements. He added that international factors are also an important dimension in terrorism. Abu Tholut argued that the definition of terrorism is highly political. He added that the struggle for Indonesia’s independence can be considered as a form of jihad, but is rarely mentioned as a form of Jihad in the public due to political reasons.
Abu Tholut, which was trained by Afghani Jihadis in the past, believed that deradicalization efforts often fail due to its association with de-Islamization. As someone that has experienced the deradicalization process, he stated that correction officers are not ready yet to do such task. Hopefully, similar discussions will also be held in the future in order to fill the lack of know-how in this issue.