Researcher from the Center for the Study of Terrorism and Social Conflict at the University of Indonesia (UI) Solahudin has asked the government and law enforcement officials to focus on eradicating sources of terror financing.
“Law enforcement must start to be concentrated on (terror) financing. Why financing? Because it is the ‘fuel’ or ‘blood’ of those groups,” he told reporters at the “Phenomenon of Contemporary Ideology in Indonesia” press conference at Aryaduta Hotel here on Monday.
Despite the pressures radical groups have faced from the public, they have still managed to operate because they have received much logistical support, he said.
He noted that, ironically, most of the logistical support has come from public funds.
“Indonesia is one of the most generous countries. Radical groups then use this situation to conduct fundraising, where the source of funds is from the public,” he said.
People’s desire to donate often results in their giving money to terrorist groups without their knowledge, he said.
Therefore, the state must protect the public from donating to terrorist groups, he added.
“A terrorist group had a charity that managed to raise funds of more than Rp100 billion from 2014 to 2019,” he pointed out.
For this reason, the government and other law enforcement officials must support the Indonesian Police’s anti-terror squad, Densus 88, in its efforts to target cases of terror financing, he said.
He asked the government to release counter-narratives against radicalism through education. This can help build community resilience so that people are not easily swayed by radical beliefs.
He also expressed regret over children being enrolled in schools affiliated with the pro-caliphate group, Khilafatul Muslimin, which have now been shut.
He noted that it is essential for the state to protect children from being exposed to radicalism, especially because Indonesia is set to experience a demographic dividend.
If counter-narratives are not released soon and the spread of radicalism is not checked, he said that he is worried the country would give birth to a more radical generation.
Source: Antara News