Indonesia has various local wisdom that has the potential to tackle radicalism and terrorismDepok, West Java (ANTARA) - University of Indonesia (UI) and the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), at a joint discussion, mulled over the potential of local wisdom to prevent and tackle radicalism.
"Indonesia has various local wisdom that has the potential to tackle radicalism and terrorism," UI's Makara Art Centre head, Ngatawi Al-Zastrow, noted in his statement on Friday.
The UI Makara Art Centre, in collaboration with the UI School of Strategic and Global Studies (SKSG UI) and MUI's Extremism and Terrorism Prevention Agency (BPET-MUI), had earlier organised a discussion on the cultural diversity potential to strengthen Indonesia and fight the Islamic State of Indonesia (NII), as broadcast on YouTube.
According to Ngatawi, local wisdom alone could not be the main shield against radicalism and terrorism, as residents should devise concrete actions to tackle issues faced by society.
Local wisdom must become the basis of the residents' daily activities, the art centre head emphasized while adding that local wisdom and cultural values must be reflected in the personal values and deeds of all people.
Meanwhile, UI School of Strategic and Global Studies Head M. Syauqillah stated that terrorist organisations in Indonesia all have a common goal to establish a caliphate. The common goal makes members of radical organisations adapt easily to like-minded organisations, he noted.
The postgraduate school head remarked that the emergence of radical organisations in Indonesia is caused by a false understanding of religious teachings, as false dissemination of the Qur'an and Hadith (sayings of Prophet Muhammad) will shape false comprehension among the organisation's adherents.
Syauqillah then noted that cultural values must be the medium to disseminate religious values to ensure that residents will comprehend the message.
Utilising local wisdom to disseminate religious values is also a challenge for religious clerics to deliver their messages to the people, he added.
Apart from Al-Zastrow and M. Syauqillah, BPET-MUI deputy head Muslih Nasuha and Galatea Thinktank's lead researcher on terrorism and political violence Ulta Levenia also attended the discussion.
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Translator: Feru Lantara, Nabil Ihsan
Editor: Sri Haryati
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