Elite troops of the Indonesian Army, Kopassus, Satuan-81, are in combat training with the elite squad of police to anticipate terrorist attacks in Jakarta, Dec.12, 2008 (KOMPAS/RENE L PATTIRADJAWANE)
JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com — Using social media and pop culture has helped Indonesia’s government counter terrorism and encourage moderate views on Islam, a leading terrorism expert said Tuesday. The world’s most populous Muslim nation, Indonesia has stemmed widespread development of extremism and marginalized the al-Qaida-linked network Jemaah Islamiyah, said Magnus Ranstorp, research director of the Center for Asymmetric Threat Studies at the Swedish National Defense College.
To learn how, Ranstorp’s center interviewed a cross-section of groups fighting extremism, religious organizations, defense officials and past and present members of Jemaah Islamiyah, the Southeast Asian network blamed for attacks including the 2002 bombing on Bali that killed 202 people.
The results of the study, conducted for the Swedish International Development Agency and released this week, show Indonesia has relied on a mix of measures, including information campaigns that encourage debate on extremist issues using the Internet and TV.
Another is the use of highly respected religious figures to promote moderate interpretations of Islam. The study cites the success of Indonesian pop star Ahmad Dhani, whose anti-extremist song “Laskar Cinta,” or “Army of Love,” sold millions of copies.
“Using pop culture is extremely important,” Ranstorp said. “It’s really about sort of maximum reach with a message” of tolerance.
The study noted that interest in interfaith dialogue was increasing in Indonesia. On the island of Java, for example, Christians have visited and lived with Muslims at Islamic boarding schools, and in rural areas, Christian and Muslim youth have worked together on welfare projects.
Julian Pasha, spokesman to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, credits government efforts to forge relationships with potential extremists throughout Indonesia, which Pasha believes has helped foster better understanding between groups and kept violent radicalism at bay.
But terrorism analyst Sidney Jones, senior adviser for Crisis Group International, said popular culture and interfaith dialogue have nothing to do with Indonesia’s success. Far more important, she says, is Indonesia’s track record of getting extremists off the streets through strong police work, and bringing members of violent networks to trial.
And there’s another key factor, she said: “The places where you’ve got the strongest terrorist movements are places that are either under occupation in the middle of a war, beset by a repressive government, or possessed of an alienated Muslim minority. And Indonesia doesn’t fit any of those categories.”
Ranstorp said more studies are needed to determine which measures have had the most impact, and how they can be applied elsewhere. Still, he thinks there are many important lessons to be learned from the review.
“It’s a good showcase ... of how the battle within Islam can be won,” he said.
MALUKU RESCUE: Members of the United Maluku Youth Search and Rescue team demonstrate their skills during a ceremony at Ancol beach, Jakarta. The 100-member SAR team, consisting of Muslim and Christian youths, was established to help the two religious communities in Maluku improve cooperation and friendship following a bloody conflict in the late 1990s. (JP/Arief Suhardiman)
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