YOGYAKARTA – Preventing Indonesian nationals from going to Syria and joining the Islamic State, according to researcher from Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict, Sidney Jones, is not enough only by removing their websites from the Internet. She considered the government needs to give the right information to correct the twisted understanding of the IS.
The government needs to give answers to the circulating information from the IS websites,” said Sidney during the annual report event of Centre for Religious and Cross-Cultural Studies (CRCS) study programme of UGM on local politics and religious conflicts, held at the School’s Hall on Tuesday (24/3).
Jones considered that the information circulating in social media from the IS massive that requires anticipatory measures from the government to counter it.
Furthermore, Jones appreciated the report on violence that misuses religious groups. On settlement of religious violence occurring in regions, Jones said this would depend on the regional leaders and security authorities. “They should be able to settle it before it grows wider,” she said.
CRCS researcher, M. Iqbal Ahnaf, said the religious conflict was due to religious and theological intolerance as well as the failure of the state in protecting the minority. It often happened, however, violence erupts when there is a political interest emerging from one of regional leader candidates prior to a regional election.